Ghost
by azindude
Summary: Christopher "Mac" Zheng, has been instilled with the mantra "That Others May Live" and when an op goes bad he provides the ultimate sacrifice for his brothers in arms. Now he protects the galaxy's only hope as she fights for its survival. He is Ghost and this is his story. Semi SI with elements from the Halo Universe. Will stray farther from canon as the story progresses.
1. That Others May Live

Prologue – That Others May Live

* * *

_35 miles south of Mosul, Iraq – ISIS territory_

_Technical Sergeant Christopher "Mac" Zheng_

_38__th__ ERQS USAF_

_21 Nov 2016 – 0200_

* * *

The cargo bay was silent save for the steady drone of propeller engines on the wings of the HC-130, 30,000 feet in the air. The area was dark save for the blue lighting of visors on the helmets of 4 men laden with armor and medical gear. Sergeant Christopher "Mac" Zheng rose from the bench and readied to brief his squad on the upcoming operation.

"Alright boys, we've got a downed pilot in the care of some friendly locals, as of three hours ago, and according to his latest sat-phone check-in his condition is stable with a fractured tibia in his left leg with a bone puncture through the skin and a dislocated right patella, other than that his condition should be stable for a one man extraction and the rest will cover. The area's swarming with ISIS extremists so I want silencers on and ammunition cold loaded. This is a simple extraction, so we're going in and out, no casualties and no deaths. I don't want a riot on our hands. We've got a reaper overwatch with small guns and a light payload and a ranger QRF for extraction. We're going HAHO so I want helmets sealed and altimeters dialed in for opening at 8km. Watch your waypoints and follow my beacon. Any questions?"

The youngest operator, A1C Phil "Rookie" Simmons spoke up, "What's the enemy patrol and force composition Mac?"

"Unknown since this is deep in ISIS territory and the local populace has largely been subjugated. Sat-imagery has picked up increased activity from enemy foot mobiles since the crash, so noise and light discipline, until the exfil or when we're compromised. Do this right and everyone goes home tonight. Hooyah?"

"Hooyah Mac, let's get this guy home." The two more veteran members of the team responded with slight nods. One of them was Staff Sergeant Max "Worm" Hill, longtime friend and partner since training in the pipeline ten years ago. The other man was a new transfer that Mac didn't know too well.

The bay suddenly becomes illuminated in a dark red glow as the pilot radios in to the team. "Drop zone in 30 seconds Angels. Weather's all clear to insertion. Take care boys and thank you flying US Airlines. Spectre out."

"Copy that Spectre, Angel Actual out."

The rear ramp lowered itself and revealed the dark Arabic night sky as the four man team shuffled to rear of the cargo bay. The drop master signaled to the team, "TEN SECONDS!" All four members checked the other man's gear in front of him and gave a thumbs up. Chrishuffled up to the edge of the ramp and looked down upon the dark expanse beneath. Breathing in and out he ruminated to himself, _Alright, just like any op before, all my boys are going home and so is the patient. _He sighed and stepped off as the drop master shouted "GO GO GO!" The wind whipped past his matte black body suit as the night sky claimed its charge away from prying eyes.

* * *

_3 hours later_

* * *

"**_Angel Actual, we've got a patrol of around a dozen foot mobiles encroaching on your position 100 meters out, suggest digging into the light vegetation 30 meters south of your position. We're getting some interference from the solar flare, so thermal imagery isn't reliable. Send Traffic_**_."_

_That's the third damn patrol they've sent our way, they know we're here._ "Overlord, Angel Actual copies, proceeding to cover and concealment. Angel out." Mac sighed at the prospect of further straying from the path to the exfil point.

"What the fuck, that's the third damn patrol that just 'happened' to come our way. I say those locals sold us out the minute we walked away with the patient, Mac." Hissed the youngest member of the team. The man had barely graduated from the pipeline and unit training weeks earlier, so the comment could be forgiven. Nothing besides real combat could take the green out a soldier, no matter how hard the training.

"Son, it doesn't matter now, all that matters is leaving with the patient and going home, so button down and be ready for a fight if things get hot, understood?"

Properly chastised the young airman replied meekly with a "yes sir."

The team quietly proceeded to the light vegetation of the Iraqi desert and dug in as one of the team placed the unconscious pilot behind a rocky outcropping and administered an IV drip and painkillers. The rest placed themselves among various tree limbs and boulders to conceal themselves and ambush any passersby that happened upon their position. Minutes ticked away until the visible cones of rifle mounted flashlight came into view. Mac held his breath as the patrol came closer and closer to his team, meters away from compromising the op. As each cone of light passed by safely away from their position, Mac counted off in his head their number to ensure that they were safe to move. As the last visible light moved away Mac reviewed the number in his head. _That's twelve time to move out._

Mac signaled his team to move out when a sudden snap of a twig to Rookie's six caused him to snap his head about, rewarding him with a bright flare as his visor tried to compensate for the sudden influx of light. Before he could eliminate the target, the lone hostile shouted in alarm compromising their position.

"GO LOUD, GO LOUD! WE'VE BEEN COMPROMISED!" Mac ordered his team. All four members flipped off their safeties and met the nearby patrol with overwhelming fire and prejudice. Mac snapped his reticule from target to target using single shots from his M27 to bring down the unarmored assailants. Bullets chipped away rock and wood as the patrol wildly fired into the underbrush, hoping to eliminate the infidels in their midst. Shortly afterward the last flashlight fell to the ground as Mac pulled the trigger with his reticule over the wrapped head of the ISIS extremist. Mac radioed to command of the situation "Overlord, this is Angel Actual, we've been compromised and in need of immediate exfil on our position. Send Traffic."

"**_Angel Actual, exfil on your position is a no go. ISIS has too many Anti-Air assets near Mosul for a clean exfil from the Ranger QRF. Nearest clearing for exfil is two klicks west of your position through the valley. Suggest your team double time, as we've got multiple foot mobiles in your AO and technicals inbound from the city with reinforcements. Pave hawks and Ospreys are en route for extraction, ETA 40 minutes. How copy?"_**

"Copy Overlord, Angel Actual out." Mac cut the connection and turned to his team. "Alright, we've just kicked up the hornet's nest so exfil is two klick's west of our position. We're going through the valley, so the enemy will have the high ground. It's still dark so stay low and stick to the shadows, we're going to get out of this gentlemen."

The two senior members of the team nodded in assent and put the unconscious pilot on a collapsible stretcher and proceeded to move out. Rookie slumped his shoulders at the prospect of having possibly compromising the mission and endangering his brothers. Mac established a private com link to the sullen Rookie as the team moved to freedom and extraction. "Rookie, that was just bad luck so don't go beating yourself up over it. You've just gotta work on your hide and seek abilities once we get back to base. We're professionals, so being outnumbered is just another day in the office. So get your head straight. You got me son?"

Rookie perked up a bit at the reassurance from the veteran, "Yeah Mac, I got you. My head's on straight."

"Good, now let's go home." With that Angel team moved to the exfil over the lush valley of the tigris to the exfil point. The quick trek through the underbrush and rocky terrain wore down on the team and their stamina as they made their way towards freedom with their precious cargo. 200 meters out from the exfil point, Mac's radio buzzed to life. **_"Angel Actual, you've got beaucoup hostiles converging on your position from the high ground of the valley. Reaper One has been cleared for retasking is awaiting targeting on your go. Additional air assets are inbound but are too far out from your AO to be of use until the QRF has arrived. Ranger QRF is 20 minutes out. Cloud cover and solar interference prevents accurate telemetry on enemy force composition until Reaper One gets closer for CAS, but expect technicals and armed foot mobiles converging on your location. Send Traffic."_**

_Damn it, we're too far out from the exfil point to button down and hold off the enemy, and we can't do a fighting retreat with the patient and just me and Rookie free to fire. One of us is going to have to stay behind. _Mac looked at the young airman next to him as he reaches a grim decision. _Gonna have to be me, I'm the only one with TACP training. _"Angel copies, Overlord. Angel One will stay behind to slow enemy opposition while precious cargo moves to exfil. Angel Two will now assume command until cargo has patient has been exfiled. How copy?"

"**_Say again, Angel Actual, cause it sounded like you were volunteering for a burial. We don't need dead heroes son."_**

"I'm the only one capable of air tasking Overlord, and the patient isn't stable enough for a prolonged engagement, he needs surgery due to internal trauma. Sorry there is no other way. Angel One out."

With that Mac cut his connection and turned to the rest of his team. "Angel Two, take the patient to exfil and switch out with Rookie on the stretcher. Take care of these guys, they're your team now Max."

Max looked with apprehension at abandoning his longtime friend, but quickly assented, seeing the need to slow the enemy to prevent the exfil point from being overwhelmed. "Chris, I'll see you on the other side brother. Give 'em hell for me." With that the two brothers in arms, stepped towards each other and gave a brief embrace for the last time. With that, the rest of Angel team made for the exfil point as Chris consolidated his ammunition and prepared a fighting position to direct air strikes and precision fire. He laid out his four magazines of 60 rounds for his M27 and his 3 HE rounds for his attached M203. His glock side arm had 5 extra mags with one full one already in the weapon. For five minutes he waited for the fight of his life.

"**_Angel One, this is Reaper One. We're on station and ready to bring the pain. How is it looking down there?"_**

"All's quiet down here Reaper One, what's the threat condition looking up there?"

**_"You've got a lot of foot mobiles converging on the valley floor towards your position. Enemy technicals count 15 in number and are right behind them. Enemy opposition looks to be about battalion strength of about 350 on our scopes. The valley walls are too high for them to get an accurate reading on your position and are avoiding the open ground on the cliffs. Probably learned their lesson last time we were here."_**

"Solid copy Reaper One, I'm gonna need Air to Ground support near my position on my go. Danger Close." Chris sighed as he surveyed the soon to be killing field ahead of him. _Even with air support, I'm not going to be able to hold them off._ The scene before him was teeming with activity even with the low lighting. The seconds ticked by as his blood thundered in his ears as the enemy came closer and their footsteps became more audible. If he had not worn his helmet, he would have been able to smell the diesel and gunpowder coming off the ISIS combatants. The seconds ticked away until Chris spoke into his mic "Bring the Thunder, Reaper One."

* * *

_20,000 feet in the air_

_AC-130K Gunship_

_Staff Sergeant Lucas "Speedy" Hoffman_

* * *

"_Copy that Angel One, packages are being sent."_

"_Speedy, clear up that scope, we've got a friendly down there and I'd rather not have a CASEVAC picking up body parts."_

"Yeah, yeah I've already got it." Speedy moved to turn dials and adjust the readings on the thermal readings on the ground. "Damn place is crawling with the fuckers. Alright I've got a reading on the strobe light, marking as friendly on the scope. Missile targeting matrix is a go on those technicals and autocannon readouts are saying clear to fire. Cleared hot, aaannd engaging. Package sent away." Dull thumps could be heard throughout the air frame as 15 missile cleared the rear launching bay. The steady reverb of the 20mm autcannon spitting out rounds onto the ground added to the dissonance. On the targeting screen in front of Speedy, white black explosions could be seen across the valley as the enemy opposition scrambled futilely to seek cover. "_Hey Speedy, we've got a runner 100 meters east of the technicals, take him out._" As the targeting computer adjusted, the gunnery officer sent rounds to chase after the unfortunate man running for his life. "_Yep he's history. Speedy I've got some movement on the cliff see if you can get a read on them."_

Sighting on the valley cliffs, the screen outlined several white silhouettes against the dark background. Several rounds were sent to the target as long tubular objects were brought to bear by these figures. Seconds before the rounds hit home, a shrill alarm sounded through the aircraft as missiles locked on and fired onto the gunship. The craft tilted hard to starboard to escape the countermeasure deployed to elude the guided missiles sent its way. In the cockpit, several curses and panic could be heard as the pilots fought desperately to avoid losing their bird. "_Shit, shit missiles inbound. Where the fuck did they get portable SAMs? Intel didn't say they got their hands on them. Speedy get some rounds on those cliffs or we're toast." _

Although the targeting computer was swaying wildly due to evasive maneuvering of the pilots, Speedy sent several rounds along the cliffs in an effort to save the air frame. As the last of the ECM flares were deployed, the last missilier fell to 20mm HE rounds penetrating his torso in a cloud of gore. The aircrew gave an audible sigh as the danger passed from hostile AA fire. "_Phew, alright, good work Speedy. Now let's make sure our guy get's home tonight, and drinks are on my co-pilot." _Various chuckles could be heard throughout the bay as the co-pilot gave indignant remarks about the lead pilots "stinginess." Speedy leaned into the targeting display and moved the sight to the valley floor near the friendly. As soon as he did he saw one foot mobile move towards the wreckage of a derelict truck and pull away a long tubular object and pointed towards the camera. Realization and panic dawned on Speedy as he moved to save his aircraft…

* * *

_On the Ground – 15 minutes until exfil_

* * *

Mac's ears were still ringing despite the auditory filters in his helmet and ear protection from the ordnance that rained down near his position. As he picked up his weapon, Mac shook clear the disorientation from the shellshock of the Danger Close tasking he gave to Reaper One. _Damn that hurt._ He saw several bright flashes on the Cliffs as missiles made their way towards his only air support. The first vestiges of dawn appeared in the formerly black sky illuminating the valley floor in a dull orange glow. Soon his position would be visible to the enemy opposition and despite Reaper One's best efforts to thin the enemy troops. The opposition still numbered a hundred in force. With his suppressed rifle, Mac depressed his trigger in single shots as he sighted down on the heads of various troopers. As the battle waged on his ammunition count dwindled to two extra magazine and three grenades. As the fighting lulled he activated his comm to contact Reaper One. "Reaper One, how is it going up there, I spotted multiple SAMs inbound to your location."

_"__**We're good over here Angel One, just a little shaken up. Standby we're repositioning to give you more covering fire. ETA is… shit missile lock, EVADE EVADE. WE CAN'T SHAKE THEM WE NEED TO… "**_

As the transmission was occurring, Mac noticed several white contrails erupt in front of him towards Reaper One from the wreckage of the enemy technicals. He could only stare in horror as he saw his air support erupt into a ball of fire in the sky as it was overwhelmed. Shaking off the shock of losing his comrades, Mac began again to fire on the enemy opposition. Despite his consistent fire, the enemy encroached upon his position steadily still numbering at least 70 among them. As he fired his three grenades into the larger concentrations of troops the enemy still numbered in the 50s. Taking disciplined single shots to conserve ammo, Mac continued to eliminate targets until he was down to his last mag of 60 rounds. Dwindling the enemy troop formation down to 26 combatants. Mac he discarded his now useless M27 and crawled out of his firing position and moved to his next fallback point twenty meters to his rear. Unlike the cover his previous position allowed, this one was mainly to hide and wait for the opposition to ambush, acting as a last stand. As he moved, Mac could hear the dull thumping of helicopters in the distance, giving a small glimmer of hope, in an otherwise hopeless situation. He drew his pistol and combat knife and prepared for a CQB encounter with the remainder of the enemy opposition. As he sat and waited, the adrenaline pumping through his system prolonged the agonizing interval as the enemy cleared out his former cover and searched for him. His one saving grace would be the large spacing of these ill trained troops allowing him to better handle the situation with his knife and pistol.

As the enemy opposition proceeded past his position, Mac approached the rear most guard and slide his knife between his assailant's ribs in the back and covered his mouth. He silently lowered the body to the guard and proceeded to the next target.

The low lighting and undergrowth of the valley served to conceal his movements and the noisy footfalls of his opponents masked any movements he made as he took down his opponents silently one by one over the next five minutes until they were 19 in number. As the enemy grew more alert to losing their comrades, Mac switched to using his pistol for the remaining opposition. As the sound of the helicopters grew louder, Mac proceeded to engage his assailants with his silenced sidearm. He squeezed the trigger twice on his first victim that was farthest away at 30 meters and moved to his closest enemy and stabbed him through the heart and used him as a shield against the now alerted 17 combatants. Using his full body, ceramic armor and his meat shield to his fullest, Mac killed four more assailants with his pistol leaving a dozen left as he wove under the discarded body and sought another shield three meters away. As he ducked under the barrel of the opponents AK74, he pushed the barrel up with his right forearm and moved his knife in a reverse knife grip, he slashed his opponent's throat from left to right and grabbed the gurgling trooper to use as cover. Taking the enemy's rife, he proceeded to shoot three more assailants with the remaining twelve rounds in the magazine as he sought cover at a boulder two meters away from his position. As several slugs connected with his boulder, Mac took stock of his wounds. In the rush of adrenaline fueled movement, he had not noticed several plates of ceramic destroyed by the connected rounds on his armor. Unfortunately, he had also suffered two bullet wounds in each leg and a puncture in his abdomen. Losing strength from increased blood loss, Mac leaned against the rocky cover as he reloaded his pistol to make his last stand.

As he struggled to take his next wheezing breath, Mac unclasped his helmet and threw next to him. He heard rustling coming from his left. He moved his right arm to meet the threat when he heard a sharp **BANG**! as he felt a sharp pain in his right hand as the pistol fell to the ground near his left thigh with a few of his fingers. As he gazed to the source of the noise, he was greeted with the dark bore of a rifles muzzle and angry sounds of Arabic speech, as well as the dull buzz of the helicopter rotors in the distance. _So close, yet so far._ Mac spat at the feet of his opponent and grimaced, "Do your worst, babykiller." As the angry ISIS trooper tightened his finger on the trigger a single thought ran through his mind, _Heh, no regrets, can't wait to see those pearly gates they always told me about, I wonder if… __**BANG!**_ The bullet entered through the left eye and left a gory mess of skull fragments and grey matter deposited out the back of his skull. Some distance away the remaining members of Angel team turned towards the last gunshot and sullenly looked to their feet as their exfil grew closer and closer. Despite his heroic effort the operation would never be brought to public light and the good man and his heroics would only become another casualty to the shadows of war.

But with death comes the start of a new journey, as unknown to the rest of Angel team, an orange flash consumed the remains of Technical Sergeant Christopher "Mac" Zheng, microseconds before his consciousness was lost to the void of war. Leaving nothing but a grey white ash to the bewilderment of the ISIS extremists around, Mac's consciousness was transferred to a certain database at the behest of a benevolent entity watching the progress of her charges in another dimension. Thus begins the story of a legend in another universe, a ghost and above all a Guardian Angel to a certain woman battling for her galaxy.

* * *

_A/N_

_Thank you everyone for the read and remember to leave a review of what you think needs improving. _

_The next chapters will be moving to the first person indicative of Mac, but it will shift perspectives for the story and be in third person for people like Shepard, Garrus, and others in the story. Mostly because third person omniscient was best for the prologue and was being told from the "benevolent entity." Forewarning is that this fic will have elements from a certain other game, but it will not be a full crossover as only one or two characters will possess elements originating from that game. Any guesses to which game it will be are welcome, but it will be revealed soon enough as I will be updating as quickly as I can. _

_Any references to actual operations and real world events are unintentional and are based purely in my imagination._


	2. Things to Come

_A/N_

_This chapter will be skipping over some of the technical aspects of Mac's gear to prevent bogging down the dialogue. I am not sure how well I balanced the information and brevity as I wrote this chapter, so leave your impressions._

_There will be a codex entry at the end of the chapter detailing Mac's equipment. Enjoy the read!_

* * *

Chapter 1 – Things to Come

* * *

Location – Unknown

Time - Unknown

Christopher "Mac" Zheng

* * *

"**Awaken Reclaimer."**

I groaned in pain at the sudden intrusion to my comfortable sleep. As I moved my body, I couldn't help but feel that things were a bit… off. _Wait… Reclaimer!? _ I turned my head towards the voice above me and stared into a face that was almost… human, but not. I sat up from the metal bed and turned towards this… alien. The realization dawns upon me. "You're a Forerunner. Are you, the Librarian?"

A short pause of silence occurs until the female forerunner speaks. **"It is good to see that the seeds I have sewn have taken root in you for this will make it easier, but yes I am. Though it is not truly I that lies in front of you but my memories to facilitate your kind's advancement to take upon the Mantle. I am sure that you have many questions about your presence here in this realm. We have time so speak your mind."**

A whirlwind of questions soar through my mind but one comes to the forefront. "How and why did I get here?"

**"You have arrived through the use of the Composer, and the gifts I have placed within your genes allow you to be processed in and out of biological form without corruption. However, you are the only one from your time to the present events that have been given this gift. You have been placed within a body, tailored to your genetic identity but augmented with your race's Spartan coding of John, who has visited once before, however the science of the procedure is beyond yourself, so know that your form is indeed yours, yet improved. As for the why, I am in need of an individual as yourself, one that has faced the specific trials of hardship, comradery and heroism that you have, as well as your love for others more than yourself."**

_Huh… so I'm a Spartan now? And what exactly does she need me for, the UNSC should already be good after Requiem. _"Why am I needed, the UNSC should be well on its way to the Mantle now shouldn't it?"

**"Alas, this is true, but Reclaimer it is not the future of your realm, that I require you to act as my proxy, but that of another that you may be familiar with. One that I may observe and change minutely, but it is a realm that my kind and your ancestors were never a part of. For only a mirror of your modern species exists without my many seeds and gifts among them. This realm is one that you may be aware of as the realm of 'Mass Effect' and its rogue ancilla."**

"But why does my time have… games of our, well our future and a different realm, err universe?" _This just seems a little too convenient with everything going on, could be just my imagination. But I remember the muzzle flash, so it can't be that._

**"These are the seeds I have sewn among your kind for the knowledge you shall bear in your coming journey. But please join me for a walk, while we converse, you must adjust to your new form. The effects of my seeds will be of no consequence due to their obscurity after the fourth global war upon your Erde Tyrene, therefore it was solely for your benefit in my plans. Do you wish to inquire about your upcoming role?"**

"Ma'am I am just a simple operator, granted a very well trained one, but how exactly will I be able to stop the Reapers from decimating the Milky Way?" _I might be smart and tough, but I'm just one man, and I haven't played those games since highschool, so my knowledge won't be of much help besides the general and large events._

**"Do not worry Reclaimer. Your task is not to save the galaxy, but to assist the one who will. I have already placed the seeds and gifts which will allow this one to lead those around her to survival. You will be my proxy and be her shadow and a ghost in her realm. You will need to avoid the eyes of those around her and others of her galaxy, for a time, until your intervention will be needed. But fear not, you will not be alone in this endeavor for I shall provide an ancilla to your care to assist in your efforts."**

"So an AI is gonna be around to help me. Why can't you just use the Chief for your purposes, he's probably more lethal than me, right?"

The Librarian pauses to gather her thoughts, **"He is… busy at the moment, and his personality is not conducive to the task at hand. Your mind is not damaged and capable of leading and inspiring others through words and actions, and John is still on his journey to reclaim the humanity that he has lost. But this is of no consequence as you are more suited to the task at hand."**

Throughout this conversation I notice that we are walking down a hallway towards a single door at the end.

"**A word of warning young Reclaimer, do not try to advance the technologies of your destination, for giving such gifts to those who have not earned the right to ownership would lead to disastrous consequences. They must endure their coming trials of their own merit in order to advance and to grow as a civilization. However, you are welcome to influence them through actions and deeds to shape events and individuals to a better outcome, and to save the lives of the innocent. There are, however, certain events which must occur as they have been foreseen, and I have given your ancilla instructions to inform when such events occur."**

**"Now Reclaimer, this is where we must part, for this is as far as my memory will go. Beyond this door you will find your ancilla, combat skin, and transport awaiting your arrival. I believe you will be pleased with the imprint model for your ancilla." **The Librarian smiles at the last remark to my bewilderment. **"Safe travels young one, for your journey may be one of tragedy and peril. Enjoy this second chance and be victorious."**

She moves to leave but I interrupt her with a final question. "Wait who exactly am I supposed to help in my journey?" _I've got a pretty good Idea who it is though._

She turns to me and smiles **"Her name is Shepard and I believe that you are acquainted with her as you are with me. Although, her true personality has been lost in the seed given to you for your knowledge, fear not, for you and her should get along well enough when you are to meet."**

With her last word she vanishes into the nothingness, leaving me alone in a bright corridor in a black jumpsuit with a great many questions and mystery surrounding my arrival. As I arrive at the door I take in a deep breath and pause to take in my situation.

_Alright, this situation is all kinds of fucked up and could just be one ludicrous hallucination before I die. _At the thought, I slap myself and am rewarded with the sting of a handprint on the right side of my face, where I notice that my right hand I no longer mangled nor missing. The thoughts of death dwell on my mind, but strangely the pain is absent from my memory. At the presence of pain, I decide to move on. _Well, seems real enough, and I don't have any loose ends back home, never had a family moving foster home to foster home, and nothing serious for a partner. I've already said my goodbyes to my brothers, and no regrets. Gonna be tough hoofin' it alone for awhile, but I'll get by until it is time to meet Shepard, whenever that is._

With my introspection done I move to the door and it slides open, revealing an armory wall with many weapons and a blue iridescent case on a pedestal containing armor that looks like a bulkier version of the SPI armor, with a triangular protrusion on the back and a largely domed blue visor on top. Like my old combat armor the plating is a matte black with plating covering most of the undersuit. Beyond that, there is only pitch black darkness obscuring my view of anything else in the room. A flashing blue terminal catches my attention and I move to activate it. At the press of the hardlight interface a blue figure rises from the terminal. As I inspect it closer I see a figure with close cropped hair and hardened features wearing a doctor's smock and a lab coat. Upon closer inspection I realize that the AI looks eerily like my friend Worm, and my suspicions are confirmed when the hologram in front of me speaks.

"_Greetings Reclaimer, my name is Maximillian, and blah, blah, blah. How ya doin' Mac?"_

I blink for a few seconds, flabbergasted at the sudden change in speech. _Bastard sounds just like him, but it could be just some clever programming. _"So are you really Worm or are you just coding to emulate him?"

The hologram glances at the ceiling and taps his chin, and then he turns towards me and answers. _"Yep, it's me, in the flesh," _he glances down, "err light."

"So how the hell did you end up as a data chip?"

Worm looked down towards the floor as he gave pause to collect his many thoughts, which was roughly a second for him. _"Same way as you did I guess. Bought the farm on a mission gone sideways and you know the rest. Except, I wasn't lucky enough to have the one genetic marker, that would have let me be put into a body uncorrupted. Well, I guess being an AI sidekick isn't so bad, though sorry I don't have the voice or hips Cortana does. I'm sure you'll do just fine."_

I smirk and shake my head in amusement as I think back to our first meeting when we were in training.

* * *

_Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas_

_Airman Christopher Zheng_

_15 February 2007 – 1500_

* * *

I drop myself down near the log after a 5 mile long run from water confidence to the valley of doing log exercises. At this point I'm ready to quit along with a large number of the now 50 man group of the original 120 trainee class three weeks ago. As I struggle to suck air to recover before the inevitable pain to follow I glance to my left to see and even sorrier bastard than me. Since the numbers have started to be culled, I decide to make conversation with the guy, since he's less likely to quit at this point. "Hey man, you look like shit." _Not the best way to start off but I'm beyond caring at this point._

"You don't look so hot yourself, brother. My gramps breathes better and he's got emphysema."

I give him my thoughts with a finger and introduce myself. "Heh, names Chris, what's yours man?" I give a nod towards him.

He pauses to give some thought and says, "Max, so how did you end up in this mess? I know I got lost on my way to the Navy."

"Got a bit lost during my stay in college, and figured a desk job would be t…"

"ALRIGHT OFF THE FLOOR AND QUIT WASTING MY AIR! I WANT THIS STEEL BEAM ABOVE YOUR HEADS BY THE TIME I SAY THREE! READY? THREE!"

The team of 25 moves to pick up the piece of metal haphazardly, which leaves me and Max to shoulder the brunt of the weight with our height.

"WHAT WAS THAT, I'M NOT HERE TO TRAIN ALL OF YOU TO BE OPERATORS, I WANT YOU TO BE A TEAM, NOW BUCKLE UP AND DO IT AGAIN! DOWN!"

I grunt with effort as I lower the beam to my right shoulder ready to press the metal in the air again.

Max speaks up loud enough for the team to hear, "Look on the bright side boys, chow is in two hours." Needless to say the instructors descend upon the poor bastard leaving me to suffer their wrath by association. _Just another day in paradise._

When the instructors finish the verbal abuse the lead instructor moves to continue the exercises. Next to me Max mumbles, "You know, I think this is the start to a beautiful friendship, or not if you quit in the next five minutes."

Rolling my eyes I dignify his jibe with a snort. Moving to focus on the current exercise and block out the nagging thought of more pain. Little did I know that his offhanded remark would hold credit long after.

* * *

_Present Day_

* * *

I snap out of my memories as I focus upon Worm's likeness in front of me.

"Alright Worm, so what've you got for me. Looks like SPI armor over there and some weapons I don't recognize." I jerk my thumb over to the wall of weapons and the case with armor.

_"Ah yeah, that's the kit you're gonna be outfitted with on our little journey. It's got some improvements, so it'll stop those chips of metal they sling at you and it's got some powerful kinetic barriers, but it's mostly geared stealth and recon, so doing your whole last stand won't become a regular thing. Not that it should be."_

As Worm lays all of this info on me, I can't help but think one question. "Why not just give me some MJOLINIR instead of going through the trouble with improving SPI?"

_"Well Boss Lady, in all her infinite wisdom, thought that if anyone she sent to help were too effective, Shepard would be as effective against the Reapers as a wet noodle. I kinda agree with her since, we're only there to make sure things turn out better and help out, not steal the spotlight."_

"But why do I need kinetic barriers when energy shields are stronger and better suited for all damage?"

_"The power draw from the other essential systems, like the force and reaction multiplier circuits, passive camouflage system, coolant distribution, my processor layer and hardlight manipulator, prevented that from being installed, but in all seriousness we're not going to be getting hit with plasma or energy beams where we're going so we'll be fine. So why don't we –"_

"Hold up. Worm is all this tech talk the new AI side of you coming out or were you always this smart but your blessed momma dropped you on your head when you were younger?" I cut in as he droned on the extensive tech he was laying on me.

Worm rolled his holographic eyes and replied, _"No Mac, it's neither cause I just dumbed myself down, so you wouldn't feel too dumb when I spoke."_ He grinned as he turned the jab right back at me. _"Now put the armor on so I can configure and set up your armor and make notes to tweak it while you get 'familiar' with your new body. However you take that is up to you."_

_Bastard's being a smart ass._ I move over to hardlight case and pull on the black body suit underlayer. I step in front of the case and press the interface at the foot of the pedestal containing the armor. The hardlight barrier gives way and "grabs" the various pieces of armor and move them around me to connect together to complete the armor's assembly. Once finished , I don the helmet and the pedestal gives off a spark that connects to the armor to jumpstart its systems and its reactor. The visor lights up and the HUD comes to life through the polarized polycarbonate material.

"_Good job Mac, you get a gold star for getting dressed, now input my processor into the back of your helmet so I can adjust your armor's processes for acclimation." _I move to the pedestal and remove a chip from the console and insert it into the back of my helmet. The cool mercury douses my mind as Doc occupies the neural interface at the back of my skull.

_"Hmm, Cortana was correct. There isn't a lot of room in here. What could you possibly have stored in that tiny brain of yours," _he states cheerfully.

"Watch it Worm, you may be riding shotgun, but you're still a passenger in here you know." _This is gonna be fu-un. _

"_Sure, sure, I got you. Now let's get you some knives. See those trapezoid looking things in the bottom left of the wall? Grab 'em."_ I grab the two modules. _"Good now there should be two ports on the gauntlets on the outside of your forearms, so go ahead and insert and lock them into place. Go ahead and activate them, you just need to think it. Watch out for smoke in that helmet though, don't want you to die from suffocation."_

I ignore him and activate the two modules and a pair of two foot long energy blades blink into existence. As I stare at the thrumming blades extending past my arms, I hear Worm speak up. _"Yeah, they're energy daggers, but you can't leave 'em on too long. I say their life is ten seconds 15 seconds tops until your suit has to recharge them._

"I thought you said the power systems were tasked to capacity already?"

"_That's why you gotta recharge them, they've got their own energy capacitors to store their energy. Now it's time to pick your weapons for your mission."_

As I look upon the diverse array of weapons on the wall, a question comes to mind. "Hey Worm what am I supposed to do about ammo? Pretty sure carrying all the ammo I'll need won't be efficient."

_"Yeah, don't worry about. The ship's got a hardlight-seed manufacturer for the bullets and a charging station for the ion cores for the forerunner weapons."_

_Well that's one headache averted._ I contemplate my mission parameters in my head. With stealth in mind, I select my weapons and pack a few extra in a duffel as I question Worm. "So Worm, I'm a bit fuzzy on the details where we're going, you got any intel for when do we head out?"

_"Yeah, Librarian stuffed all kinds of intel into my memory core when she started making me. I can run some simulations to figure out what our actions could do and their consequences, but it's limited so we're still gonna have to play some things by ear. Now turn around, and lets go see our ship."_

I nod in assent, and as I move towards the darkened loading bay as it slowly becomes illuminated by the bright blue lighting of the Forerunner architecture and draws my attention to the matte black silhouette of a distinct UNSC Prowler. "I don't think I can fly this ship by myself Worm, or keep it from falling apart on us." Before Worm can reply, the sound of chirps and cooing from behind me, and as I turn to investigate I am greeted with the sight of three Huragok. _You know, despite the glistening gas bags and tentacles they look… cuddly._

"_Ah yes, time to meet your crew. From left to right are Lightened Mist, Heavier Than Most, and Meatbag. Personally, I think Meatbag just calls himself that cause he likes comics too much KOTOR."_

The engineers chirp and gesture with their tentacles, which I take as an introduction. Sure enough, Doc translates for me. _"Mist says 'Good day Reclaimer," Hev reciprocated and Frank says 'Sup, meatbag.' They said that the ship will be ready in about six weeks, give or take. They also asked what you'd like to call the old bird, for the paint job."_

_Ship needs a name I guess. _"Let's go with _Shadow of Hope_." With that the three bulbous mechanics, moved off to the ship, disinterested in anything else. As I watch them float away, a single though screams in my mind as the reality of the situation hits me. "Worm…what. The. FUCK!"

In my helmet, I can hear Worm's amused chuckle reverberating in my skull.

* * *

_Petra Nebula, Vetus System - Illyria, Elysium _

_PFC Amelia Patricia Shepard_

_105__th__ Marine Battalion – Shore Leave_

_21 November 2176 – 0900 – One hour until Elanos Haliat's forces make landfall._

* * *

The terminal in front of her buzzed as a sign for a failure to connect to its intended destination over the extranet. She cursed the increased sighting of slaver bands near the Alliance's frontier colonies. _First time I get shore leave since I enlisted, and mom gets deployed to patrol duty. Sometimes I wish, she wasn't the XO of the Einstein. _

As she sighed at the prospect of a dull, lonely shore leave, Amelia gazed out the window and took in the view. The city and streets below her window was teeming with the vibrant energy abundant in the thriving colony world. Although it was a human colony, there was no shortage of asari, turian, salarian, and other species in addition to the human populace of the city of Illyria. As a testament to humanities newfound expansion and prosperity, most would be unaware of the potential dangers lurking beyond the Skylian Verge, as the Batarians and their bands of proxies hunger to put down, the defiant newcomers to the galactic stage. _I wonder just how secure and safe this place is. Any significant slaver operation, would probably lead to another Shanxi, except with the Batarians. God those bastards needed to be put down. I can't believe the Council hasn't stepped in when they outlaw slavery._ Shepard stood up from her terminal and moved to exit her room and towards the elevator to go sightseeing in the capital city of Illyria.

As Amelia continued gazing upon the morning city scape in front of her, lost in her own musings, the time on the bed stand clock read 09:25. Unbeknownst to all on the planet, a fleet of second-hand batarian war ships and slave transports descended toward the hapless inhabitants of Elysium, eager to claim their prize of more valuable slaves.

**_As the Lioness of Elysium would proceed unaware of her impending brush with destiny, another man, whose fate was duly intertwined with hers, would soon make his presence known. While Shepard would forever be praised by the colony's inhabitants as their savior and hero, the galaxy's new arrival would only be known for a time in infamy by the wicked and corrupt. Amongst those who would be named as his foes and his allies, he would only be known by name as the Ghost of Elysium, the Angel of Akuze, and the Fury of Torfan. His wrath and his benevolence shall soon makes its way unto the world. Through my will and his actions, Humanity shall reclaim the birthright bestowed upon them despite our arrogance. I am Librarian, and my charges shall soon be delivered unto their birthright, for the Mantle of Responsibility demands it and fate yearns for it. Beware rogue ancilla, the Reclamation of Humanity is at hand, and you are hopeless to stop it._**

* * *

**_CODEX_**

Armor Capabilities of Christopher "Mac" Zheng

-Plasma microfusion reactor; He-3 fuel cells with a continous operational lifespan of ten years

-Outer Photoreactive Paneling Mk IV with integrated nanites for a wider range of EM radiation emulation

-Hardlight Manipulators; located on the left forearm and back, the manipulators allow for quick use of a evasive maneuvering thruster or a rounded shield to briefly deflect incoming fire.

-Dual Energy Daggers with a blade duration of 15 seconds and a charge interval of 2 seconds

-Memory Processor Layer

-Coolant distribution system for IR and Thermal Masking

-2 cm Titanium Forerunner alloy plating with integrated self-repair nanites

-Titanium nanoweave bodysuit with integrated self-repair nanites and MJOLNIR GEN II upgrades

-MJOLNIR force-multiplying and reactive circuits

-Neural Uplink Interface

-Magnetic holding strips for weapons

Permanent Armament of Christopher "Mac" Zheng

Dual M7S Suppressed Caseless SMGs

M6C SOCOM suppressed Pistol

Space for one other non-collapsible weapon across back

Sniper Rifles may be slung accross the back via reinforced kevlar slings

_If there is anything that needs more explaining, PM or leave a review asking for more info._

**_\- Updated Codex for coolant to mask IR signature._**


	3. The Lioness and the Ghost

Chapter 2 – The Lioness and the Ghost

* * *

_Aboard the _Shadow of Hope _en route to colony world of Elysium_

_Christopher "Mac" Zheng_

_6 weeks post resurrection – ETA 20 minutes, local time 21 November 2176 - 1100_

* * *

On an active holographic display, numerous depictions of alien physiology phased in and out of the foreground, containing many notes for major organ systems, skeletal structure and major blood vessels. As I studied the various species that I would likely encounter on my first mission, I turned to look at my armored hand. _Still not used to these upgrades. Everything seems so slow. At least now I can use a glass without accidently breaking it. _The past six weeks for me were spent relearning how to livewith a new body. For all intents and purposes, the body was my own in every way. Everything was the same on the outside before I died. But I just couldn't shake off the awkwardness of time going slower than it did before, and having to relearn how to use my muscles again. The experience was incredibly disorienting.

It wouldn't be until the third week that I was adjusted enough to start working with the suit 24/7. My progress was going a little too slowly for Worm, so he had Meatbag construct a slipspace dilation field for me to grow comfortable and move better. We didn't have a lot of materials to add more than two weeks, because most of it was being put into the portal to take us to the alternate reality. I still got an extra two weeks out of it, so now I won't trip over my own feet during a fight. Worm says that I got at least a week or two until I would be acclimated enough for a prolonged engagement of more than a few hours.

As I ruminate on my preparations for the upcoming firefight, Worm pops up on the command console to my left, interrupting my thoughts. _"We're about five minutes away from exiting the portal, and our stealth systems are running at full capacity. Engines are at 20 percent and holding. We'll be as cold as interstellar space. How do you want to handle this?"_

"I need some intel on whatever is going down on the surface. I'll need to insert onto a rooftop near the hostile base of operations and take out some commanders. Then I can slip in and pick off the enemy in the ensuing chaos. I can't help in the city without getting caught on camera by a bystander. Shepard should have that covered anyways, and it's her show."

_"Alright, I'll have Mist have the ship for passive scans near the capital with a suborbital holding pattern. What are you going to take for weapons on the mission?"_

"I don't know, give me a second to think about it." _The distance will probably be too great for the SR-99, I think I should use the M-99 for the gauss rounds, and better range. _"I'll take the regular covert operations loadout and bring along the M-99. I'll need you and Mist to take telemetry scans in the prowler for target designation and input them into my suit's targeting computer. You can handle all of the calculations, I'll just point and shoot."

_"You want Meatbag to whip up any special ammo?"_

"Regular rounds for the M7 and the pistol are fine, just give me 20 magazines for each smg and five extra for the pistol. We'll take twenty magazines for the M-99 and have two of them loaded with HE cores for anti-vehicle ops. I'm sure they'll have a spare gunship or two that needs some remodeling."

Worm smirks, _"I can always get behind some indiscriminate death and mayhem. What's going to be the second stage of the operation?"_

I get up and walk over towards the weapon rack to inspect my weapons. "Look for the staging area where they're holding all of the captives. I can't save all the people down there, but I'm damn sure not gonna let anyone become a slave."

_"Understood, I'll tell Mist to look for any large concentrations of unarmed combatants outside the city. By the way we'll be arriving in 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1." _ I notice a subtle shift in the gravity of the ship. "_Welcome to Elysium, proud colony of the alliance, and soon to be popular tourist attraction for slavers, pirates and all kinds of scumbags."_

The ship moves to a holding pattern above the capital city of Illyria. I look at the view screens of the numerous cameras mounted on the hull. "Do any of these bastards have us on their scopes?" None of the ships move in our direction as Mist begins scanning the surface below.

_"Relax, this ship could hide from forerunner scanners. I very much doubt these guys could do any better."_

As the minutes tick by, I notice a flurry of activity near the center of the city. "Clear up the signal on the city center at grind 2-4-6." The telltale signs of a raging firefight appear on the main viewscreen. The colonial defenders were slowly being whittled down as they defended a large portion of civilians hiding in the city's capitol building.

_"They're getting pounded pretty hard down there Mac. Should I send you down there instead to give them a hand?"_

I clench my fist in frustration as I make the difficult decision not to. "No, we've got our own Mission to carry out. Besides, there's many more places like that in the city, and if I don't take out their ground operations, it's just going to get worse."

Worm frowns at my decision, but nods in understanding. _"Alright brotha, Mist found the raiders' main base of operations and staging area for exporting their 'precious cargo.' They're in the same area and are 3 klicks northeast of the edge of the city at grid 5-4-3. The closest building with an unobstructed view is 4.1 klicks at 250 degrees southwest of the base at a height of 263 meters. The far end of the base is just outside of your effective range at 4.8 klicks where bullet drop comes into play."_

"What about bullet penetration? I'd rather not kill a civvy accidentally with the through and through."

_"Don't worry man, I'll make sure you don't accidently kill a civilian when your rounds go through the target. I'll get Mist highlight the civilian's positions." _He pauses for a second. _"Alright, the building's coordinates have been input into the slipspace translocator system, so go ahead and pull me."_

I walk over to the holographic display and pull Worm's chip and insert it into the back of my head and the ensuing coolness envelopes my brain. _"Meatbag's got all your ammunition in a duffel near the pad, so let's get this show on the road."_

I attach my M7s to my thigh plates and holster my pistol onto my right hip. I then swing the gauss rifle over my back and put the Kevlar strap across my chest and tighten it as I walk to the translocation pad near the weapon rack. I pick up the duffel and nod towards Meatbag in thanks for the ammo. I get a few cooing noises and chirps as a response.

_"He said 'don't mention it,' so on the count of ten we'll be on our merry way and to kick some ass. Ready?" _I nod. _"Alright, 1 – 10." _

_SON OF A-. _I am unable to finish the thought as the world turns black and my insides feel churned inside out. I land haphazardly on the top floor of the empty office building with papers and overturned mugs and Styrofoam cups filled with coffee strewn about the many cubicles on the floor.

"Alright, let's set up a nice little nest before we reach out and touch someone." I pull away a few tables from the cubicles and create a platform to rest the rifle on and lay prone on the floor. I clear out a firing lane to the northeast in the direction of the enemy CP and begin my setup.

I pull off the gauss rifle and deploy the bipod onto the front of the platform. I pull out the eighteen standard ammunition magazines to the left of the rifle within easy reach for reloading. The two HE mags I placed on the right. I laid myself down and plugged in a data cable to the weapon's computer and waited as the system reconfigured and initialized to my suit. The variable 100x promethean visual acuity sensor's readings uploaded itself to my HUD and I waited for the _Shadow of Hope's _scans to be put into the targeting computer. _Alright, deep breaths. Slow down that heart rate like you learned in training. _

_"Shift your aim two millimeters to your left. That's it, go ahead and activate the optic. Enemy foot mobiles are highlighted in red on your scope." _Worm reverts to his professional persona, as he guides my shot as my spotter.

I pan across the slaver encampment with my scope and come upon a metallic prefab, with around a dozen mixed species on the second floor of the structure. The rest of the encampment was comprised of open shuttles with equipment arrayed near their openings. _Looks like the CP. _The batarian in my scope stood in front of a holographic table barking orders to those around him. _Hope this guy is Elanos Haliat, that'd make my job a hell of a lot easier._ Sure enough, Worm chimes in my ear moments later.

_"Scans from the Shadow of Hope confirms target is Elanos Haliat. Priority target in sight. Send the package when you're ready."_

I breathe in and let out half a breath as I steady the fluctuations caused by my beating heart. As I feel the dull thump inside my chest, I slowly apply pressure to the trigger. As my finger fully depresses the firing mechanism, a strong force presses into my shoulder, despite the recoil dampeners. In the background, outside of my tunnel vision, I hear the faint snap of shattering glass, as the 5 mm ferrous tungsten slug accelerates to 15,000 m/s. Before the my heart starts another beat, the supersonic round penetrates the metal wall of the prefab and obliterates Haliat, as the bones and flesh in his torso explodes into a red mist. "Package is sent."

_"Good effect on target. Bastards in pieces, as he should be. Go ahead and turn that building into swiss Mac and cheese. I'll start assigning priority targets in the area."_

"…did you just?"

Worm ignores me and starts uploading priority targets to my HUD, as I proceed to eliminate the remaining members of Haliat's command staff.

_"I love the sound of sonic booms in the morning. Wakes me right up."_

The only reply I give him is the ejection of the spent magazine.

* * *

_Illyria, Elysium – Capitol Building_

_PFC Amelia Patricia Shepard_

_21 November 2176 – 1215_

* * *

The intense combat Amelia had been enveloped in since roughly two hours ago were taking its toll on her stamina. Her amp was feeling warm from constant use of her biotics to weaken cover and demolecularize slavers. In the brief lull in the fighting, she was helping herself to a can of Tupari sports drink and a high calorie ration bar that tasted like cardboard. Around her lay the bodies of many brave volunteer defenders. _Jesus, some of these people have never held a weapon before today. _She glanced at the open lifeless eyes of the dead teen beside her, froth still around his mouth from the anaphylactic shock from the slavers' toxic rounds. _God damn Batarians. All this senseless violence, and for what? Some slaves? _As she ruminated on the stupidity of the conflict, a defender from Elysium's garrison of Alliance marines shuffled over to her behind cover.

"Shepard, we're getting reports of hostiles moving northeast towards their main encampment. Looks like they're about ready to bug out of here. Guess they met their quota for today huh?" He spat on the ground in anger.

"Hey, at least we kept the people inside here safe. It wasn't a total loss. You've gotta take your victories when you can in this line of work." She said with a faint grin.

The exhausted marine sighed. "Yeah, but I just wish we had enough forces for a counter-attack, to free the ones that were already taken."

Amelia's thoughts then moved to the large booms that reverberated throughout the city that ended just moments ago. "Anything on the battle net about that sniper earlier."

The marine shook his head. "No nothing, whoever it was wasn't one of ours, but we didn't get any reports of fatalities from sniper fire, mostly just poisoning from toxic rounds and ballistic blades. Probably just some disgruntled civilian taking potshots from a balcony at that encampment to the northeast."

"That's ridiculous, that's too far away for any optic a civilian could get their hands on. Only ones that can get that kind of gear are N7s."

As the two marines argued, the radio in the garrison marine's helmet crackled to life. **_"This is Overlord to Capitol, please respond, over._**

The marine activated his comms in his hardsuit. "This is Capitol to Overlord, we receive you, send traffic."

**_"Capitol you've got a large detachment of enemy foot mobiles converging on your location from the south. Numbers are sketchy, but you've got a fight coming your way. Alliance reinforcements will be in orbit within the hour, so hold on."_**

"Understood Overlord, thanks for the heads up. Capitol out." He grimaced as he turned off the radio. "Well Shepard, guess it's a good day to die isn't it?"

"I don't know about you, but I'm not about to let some damn batarians off me today. Not when I'm on shore leave. I say we kick these bastards so hard in the balls, all four of their eyes pop out of their heads. NOW WHO'S WITH ME!"

A resounding round of cheers sprang up from amongst the defenders as the revitalized prepared for a harsh defense with grim determination and renewed vigor.

In the distance, the dull thump of an explosion could be heard to the northeast, claiming the lives of a dozen bloodthirsty batarians out for blood.

* * *

_100 meters from former CP of Elanos Haliat_

_Christopher "Mac" Zheng_

_21 November 2176 – 1225_

* * *

_"Well there goes the cozy little nest we made. Wonder if the Batarians enjoyed the little housewarming gift we left them. I'm sure thermite and high explosives do wonders to warm up a place."_

"Worm, focus. The last slave ship is getting ready to load the captives, and we don't have much time until it leaves."

_"Ah come on, you gotta let me have a little fun. You got to take out the rest of the ships' thrusters and pulping slavers, I had the pleasure of being your spotter. You didn't even keep the rifle, and nobody likes a trigger hog Mac. Also quit worrying about that ship, I already hacked their battlenet and its systems, so it shouldn't be lifting off anytime soon."_

"It's not the lifting off I'm worried about, it's having noncombatants around when the shooting starts that's the problem." I creep my way towards the aft thrusters and spot a pair of guards patrolling near the area. With my stealth systems active, the spooked pair of a turian and batarian continue walking, unaware of death creeping upon their door. I pull my pistol out of my holster with my right hand and make ready to activate my blade in my left. I aim my pistol towards the head of the batarian as I draw closer to the pair. Once I'm within a meter of the turian, I quickly depress the trigger twice times and watch as the .50 cal HP rounds pop the kinetic barriers with the first round and explodes outside the back of the head of its victim with the second, showering his partner in a fine pink mist. As the turian turns toward the faint _pft_ emanating from my pistol, I lunge forward with my left fist and as my gauntlent connects with his right mandible, the blade of high temperature ionized gas forms through his head, cleaving off the top half of his head just below the eye sockets. Both bodies fall to the ground simultaneously, utterly lifeless.

_"Set your demo charges to remote detonation, and I'll take care of the rest. Once you're done head towards the slave processing area, activity is picking up. Also, I've already got the deactivation codes for the bomb collars, so the prisoners should be safe." _

I plant the C-12 charges on the ship's thrusters and make my way 50 meters south to the holding facility and draw both M7S smgs from my thigh plates and draw ten magazines and attach five on each of the now empty magnetic strips on my thighs for quick reloading. As I near the fenced off holding pen, I pick up a conversation between two slavers.

"We've only got one functional slave ship left, and Haliat's dead, so I'm in charge since I own that ship. And I say we take the healthiest captives for slaves and kill the rest."

"You're saying we just take one ship of slaves from this raid? How are we going to pay everyone for the job. We should wait for the frigates to come down here and pick up more of them."

"And be sitting ducks for the alliance? I don't think so. Haliat fucked up when he planned this mission, and I'm not going to rot in an Alliance prison for his mistake. I say we cut our losses and …"

With that, Worm detonates the demolition charges, rendering the last transport ship as inoperable.

The slavers around the encampment stare at the loss of their pay day. "DAMN IT! How the hell did a saboteur get in the perimeter? You know what, if I'm not going to get any money from this, I'm gonna detonate their damn collars! FUCK. THESE. HUMANS!"

As he presses the button on his omni-tool, the many captives in the holding pen wince in preparation for their immediate decapitation. As the seconds tick by, disaster never comes to the innocent hostages.

The slaver blinks in surprise "What the fu-"

Before he can finish the expletive, a shimmering blue blade protrudes out of his chest and disappears as I deactivate the energy blade. The surrounding slavers and captives stare in surprise at the sudden demise of the slaver from thin air. As they stand in shock, I level my M7s at the two nearest hostiles and release a 10 round burst from each gun. The suppressed rounds quickly overwhelmed the kinetic barriers with their high rate of fire and shredded the armor and insides of my surprised victims. Before the bodies hit the ground I quickly switch targets and move in and out of the surprised slavers, seeing their associates gunned down from nowhere. While the raiders struggle to form a coherent response to my attacks, I quickly blow through all 10 of my magazines for both weapons. With not enough time to retrieve more ammunition in the hard storage compartments in my armor, I activate both daggers on my arms and release the camouflage systems to divert power. Worm takes this opportunity to commandeer my suit's speakers.

**"FOOLISH MORTALS! PRAY FOR YOUR SALVATION, FOR NOONE CAN SAVE YOU FROM ME!"**

I turn off the speakers and hiss "Worm, what the fuck?"

_"What? It's hilarious. And if they decide to get scared and run for it then its all the better for us."_

I sigh and coil my body, ready to spring at the closest slaver meters away from me. As I lunged forward with my arms to my sides, I couldn't help but admit that the look of sheer terror on these arrogant raiders pretty entertaining.

* * *

_Captive Holding Pen, Elysium_

_Treiss T'Moor_

_Captive – asari in maiden stage 110 years old_

* * *

The terrifying apparition wove in and out of the dreadful slavers with its blades of blue, bisecting and decapitating the terror bound bodies as the raiders tried to track the black blue killing them all one by one. Were it not so gruesome and terrifying, Treiss would have found the deadly dance beautiful and full of life, despite the death being sown by this angel of death and destruction.

Panic set in amongst the remaining slavers, despite the fact that they outnumbered him overwhelmingly. Fueled by sheer terror, the survivors fled to their shuttles to escape the wrathful demon seeking retribution for their transgressions. As the shuttles left the grasslands filled with death. The dark figure dropped its arms to its sides and turned its head towards the pen. _Oh Goddess, please don't kill us too._

To everyone's surprise the figure simple deactivated its blades and waved its hand in a sweeping motion towards the awestruck captives. The sound that snapped them out of their reverie were the sounds of their inert bomb collars hitting the floor. In front of many, the figure simple dissolved from view, leaving the now free citizens perplexed at just what exactly had occurred those few minutes prior. Treiss simply fell to her knees, sobbing in relief at the prospect of having been saved from a life of utter despair.

* * *

_Alliance Shuttle, Elysium_

_Commander David Anderson_

_SSV Hastings XO – N7 attaché_

_21 November 2176 – 1400 – 30 minutes since slaver fleet escaped the system_

* * *

Anderson stepped off of the shuttle onto the gruesome sight before him. If not for the hardsuit he was wearing, the smell of cauterized flesh and ozone would have made his face scrunch up in revulsion. Out of the corner of his vision he saw a familiar face approaching him, with a few bandages to her arms and legs from stray rounds during her defense of the city. People were already calling her the Lioness of Elysium for her strength and leadership. _To see her all grown up like this, it's hard to imagine the young grade schooler roaming the Tokyo when her mother and I served on the same ship. Hannah is likely very proud for Amelia._

He was broken out of his reminiscence by the sight of a familiar sight walking up to him with a smile on her face. _Girl looks like she's about to collapse from exhaustion._ He returned the smile and embraced the young woman he had known for the majority of her life.

"Good to see you, sir, though you're a little late to the party. All the house guests left before you could arrive." The sound of her voice was mirthful.

"Sir? Amelia I may outrank you, but I'm not gonna be formal with a girl I helped raise like my own daughter."

She crossed her arms and gave a mock pout in indignation. "I'm not a little girl anymore, why can't you and mom see that."

He chuckled at her irritation. "Yes I can see that, the Lioness of Elysium. How is it being the hero of the hour child?"

Amelia grimaced at the mention of her new moniker. "I don't know why they're calling me a hero, all I did was get a high kill count in the defense of the city. Plus, all this attention thrown my way is bothersome. I'm not anything special."

Anderson chuckled at the woman's discomfort with the attention thrown her way. "Well, regardless of your feelings, you're in the limelight now. And people need their heroes, especially with shit like this going on." He paused and surveyed the array of abandoned ships before him. "Now enough of that Shepard, what can you tell me about what happened here."

She scratched her head as a look of bewilderment crossed her features. " Well we've got a lot of holes in that prefab over there, and a slurry of pulped torsos in a briefing room. It doesn't look pretty. Some of the investigators had to leave the room to keep from getting sick. It looks like sniper fire, but I don't know how they were able to see through the walls to know where to shoot. This model was specifically designed to block sensor readings, and the fire was too concentrated in that specific room to be a coincidence. Ballistics has the trajectory of the rounds going originating to the southwest at approximately 240-255 degrees. They also said that the elevation for the shots was too high for any of the nearby hills."

"What about some of the buildings from the city?"

"Closest possible building is about 4 klicks away from here, but there aren't any optics with that kind of range in the colony. Were there any N7 assets deployed here?"

Anderson shook his head. "No, there weren't any operatives in the area. There's been a lot of chatter in the community trying to figure out if anyone was here on leave or retirement on Elysium, and none of them were trained snipers. So no, it wasn't on our end. Plus, we don't have any sensors that can penetrate these walls from that far of a distance."

"That's not all of it, the top floor of the building's been blown apart with High explosives, and we've got some thermite residue in the center of the floor. We've also got bodies, batarian ones."

"So our sniper bugged out and rigged his nest to blow. Guy's trained in guerilla warfare, can't be just some ordinary merc."

"You know anyone who could have taken the shot?"

Anderson shook his head. "No, this doesn't fit in with anyone's MO from what you told me. I don't see their signature on this." He pauses for a moment. "What about the bodies in the open?"

"That's even stranger, some of the more… intact bodies, have tungsten slugs in them, and they've got chemical residue on them, indicating a chemical propellant. Even stranger is that the more gruesome bodies have cauterized wounds and the surrounding tissue has been flash boiled. The medical examiners say that it looks like plasma burns, but we haven't developed a way to self-contained weaponized plasma have we?"

"What do we have for eye witnesses, I doubt the captives couldn't see what happened out in the open."

"Well all we've been able to get from them, is that something invisible started killing the slavers, and then appeared and started slicing through the poor bastards. Physical descriptions are sketchy, but almost all of them are calling this thing the Ghost."

As the two discussed the bewildering spectacle, they made their way into one of the disabled freighters to inspect the ship's systems. As they entered the engineering compartment, a black figure with a blue visor materialized out of thin air. Before either of the two surprised marines could respond, the figure disappeared in a flash of golden light.

Amelia breathed in astonishment, "Anderson, I think that was the Ghost."

Anderson could only look on the now empty spot of air in breathless bewilderment.

* * *

_Aboard the _Shadow of Hope –_ Outbound from Vetus System_

_Christopher "Mac" Zheng_

_21 November 2176 - 1430_

* * *

_I am never going to get used to that damn teleporter. _I collect myself from the deck and unclasp my helmet, wiping away the shoulder length brown hair from my face and pull it to the back. I reinsert Worm's chip into the command console. His holographic form winks into life.

"So… mind telling me how Shepard AND Anderson were there when we decided to get back on the ship?"

Worm looked sheepishly elsewhere besides my gaze. _"Well… I had Mist stop his scans, when the action stopped, and I was looking over the battle logs from your helmet cam. So uh… I made a mistake."_

I groan and palm my face and decide to address the other concern on my mind. "Whatever, but do you think you can explain how I was able to fight hand to hand like that at the end? I can barely keep my aim steady right now."

_"Ah that, well you know how your body was generated to fit your body?" _I nod. _"Well, the Librarian kind of made some… adjustments to it besides the Spartan augs."_

I cross my arms. "Well what the hell are they, spit it out."

_"She kind of replaced some of your 'devolved' DNA and replaced it with Ancient Human genetic code."_

_Well that explains why my body feels so funny despite all the time I had to get used to it. But why didn't Worm or Librarian mention this earlier. _"Why not just tell me this earlier?"

_"Well that's the thing, this level of genetic rewrite needs an existing genetic profile to work properly. So essentially you've got an Ancient sharing that body with you, and boss lady figured your resurrection would be hard enough to take in as it is."_

I blink in astonishment at the revelation. "Well do we know who this person is?"

Before Worm can respond, a voice booms in my head. **I am Forthencho, Lord of Admirals. Do not worry young one, for the Librarian has only tasked me to come to your aid when you so require it. And I must say, you are an admirable warrior. It makes me proud that my descendants still carry the strength and nobility of your ancestors.**

"So you were the one that took control of my body back there? I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that."

**Do not concern yourself, for I was only able to "guide" your actions with my own memories. I am still very weak, so I am unable to assist in a great capacity as of yet. But when my strength returns, I will only take control in great peril or when you allow me to do so. I will do everything in my power to aid you in cleansing these abominations from the galaxy.**

"You think we can destroy these Reapers?"

**If given enough time, we would be able to muster a formidable armada using the seeds of ships from my time. However, I am in agreement with the Librarian as intervening too thoroughly will leave my descendants here unworthy of accepting the Mantle. Worry not, for with the Huragok and the Constructors aboard, we will create a significant fleet to aid these Reclaimers in their destiny, but only when the time is right. Your friend already knows of these plans and has found a suitable location to begin our operations in this galaxy. Discuss with him your plans, for I must recede as I have tired myself. I will return when I have gathered my strength.**

With that his presence recedes from my mind, leaving me confused at the sudden intrusion. I turn to Worm's expectant gaze.

"So… Lord of Admirals huh?"

* * *

**_CODEX_**

_Capabilities of the Shadow of Hope_

-Active Camouflage Suite

-Coolant and Heat Exchange System

-Engine Baffles

-Forerunner Slipspace Generator

-Forerunner Engines

-Kinetically activated Energy Shielding

-Slipspace Translocator Platform – recharge time 3 hours

-Deployable forward mounted turret with 1 Shipbourne Hardlight – Ion Cannon, twin coaxial sentinel beams (Think Upsized Binary Rifle) - can fire one large round for anti-ship purposes or 6 smaller rounds for ground support, reload time is 2 minutes.

-16 Slipspace mines (basically a more stable version of the improvised slipspace bomb in Halo Reach)

_Lord of Admirals –Forthencho Psych Profile_

The once leader of the great civilization of ancient humanity before their devolution to a Tier 7 tribal species, the Lord of Admirals was both a formidable warrior and an excellent strategist. Unfortunately, humanity's war with the Flood weakened their capabilities considerably, leaving them vulnerable in their war with the Forerunners. It should be noted that at the end of the conflict, Forthencho willingly surrendered at Charum Hakkor to end the conflict and accept Humanity's fate.

As an advisor to Christopher Zheng, Forthencho regards modern humanity with both sadness and hope, as he recalls the once great might of humanity lost to time, and sees its rise to prominence in this galaxy and his. His view on relations with Zheng and modern humanity can be viewed in a Fatherly manner, fiercely protective of his descendants, as they are now the only indicators that his people existed at all

* * *

_A/N_

_Alright so here is Mac making his reputation to the galaxy at large, or the start of it. The scene with Anderson was difficult for me and I can't help but feel that it flows a little awkwardly. I was trying to create the aura of mystery surrounding the "Ghost Persona" of Mac. Tell me what you think. Also the slave holding pen had kinetic barriers on it, so no stray bullets were a problem._

_As for including the Lord of Admirals in this fic, I figured having another advisor for Mac would be a good idea. The concept was inspired from Greg Bear's Forerunner trilogy, and if you are a Halo fan, I suggest reading the books as they give a lot of background on the Forerunners and Ancient Humans. Even though Mac was a USAF commando, I think the capabilities of an Ancient Human warrior would be better for the finesse Mac needs for his mission. Plus I've got a pretty cool scene in my head for when Mac introduces himself to Alliance leadership, and I think Forthencho has a certain regality to better do this scene. Other than that I dunno, thoughts?_


	4. The Angel Goes to Hell

Chapter 3 – The Angel Goes to Hell

* * *

_Horsehead Nebula, Anadius System – Cronos Station, Cerberus HQ_

_Jack "The Illusive Man" Harper_

_Head of Paramilitary Rogue Alliance Intelligence Organization - Cerberus_

_15 March 2177 – 1150 - 4 months post Skylian Blitz_

* * *

The room was empty, save for the empty chair and screens and their haptic interfaces. In the background of the eerie glow of a dying red supergiant, sat a lone figure with well-groomed graying hair and clothed in an expensive black and white suit. The dull glow of dying embers moved from his side to his mouth and intensified its glow as he drew breath. As the man exhaled, his dimly lit features were obscured save for the signature glow of his blue-steel gaze.

"Operative Rasa, I want a status update of our investigation into Elysium." The solitary figure spoke to the holographic projection of the female Cerberus operative in front of him.

_"Sir, the raid was organized by a pirate named Elanos Haliat, and I believe he had extensive funding from the Batarian Hegemony. His remains were found by Alliance investigators after the attack and is confirmed dead, so retribution for his attack won't be possible."_

Harper took another drag on the cigarette. "Can you give me any details on his death?"

_"The bodies weren't pretty, what little was left of the. Whatever the sniper fired, it sent shockwaves throughout the room, liquefying the 'victims.' They could only identify his body through DNA in some bones. We suspect whoever, fired the gun used an office building approximately four kilometers away, as evidenced by high explosives and thermite residue on the top floor. We found the remains of the likely weapon in the thermite residue."_

"And the weapon itself?"

_"Completely irrecoverable, but we were able to recover a few slugs a few kilometers away from the command cent-"_

Harper interrupted the report. "Operative Rasa, I don't think I heard you clearly in your explanation. Did you just say slugs?"

_"Yes sir, the bullet was deformed significantly but we are certain the weapon was firing an old-style tungsten bullet. We also found several similar larger slugs with chemical residue on them."_

"Hmm, interesting. We'll keep an eye out for the user, not many people use those relics anymore. Do we know who fired them?"

Operative Rasa shifted her gaze to collect her thoughts, and he thought he saw a hint of nervousness cross her features. _"We… don't know. At all. There hasn't been any rumors among the Terminus, and many of the big name Terminus mercenaries are buzzing, trying to find out who this new player is. Frankly sir, I'm starting to buy into the name Ghost of Elysium. There is just no physical or visual evidence he exists or even what he really looks like. All we have are bizarre descriptions from the freed captives and the bodies left behind."_

He dragged once more on his cigarette, deep in thought. "Regardless, the enigma will turn up eventually. Look into anything else on this 'ghost' and see if he may be recruited to join our cause if he is indeed human. Also draw up contingencies for his possible elimination."

Rasa nodded in confirmation. "_Yes sir, I'll get right on it._"

Another puff of smoke. "Good work Operative Rasa, you are dismissed." With that he ended the transmission with a few commands into his arm rest's console.

"Get a connection to Dr. Wayne on Akuze. I want to know how our little science experiment is doing." Harper waited for the hologram of the former Alliance biomedical researcher to appear in front of him, taking a sip of the expensive bourbon as he sat patiently for his next report of the day.

* * *

_30 minutes earlier…_

_Aboard the Shadow of Hope – in orbit over Akuze_

_Max "Worm" Hill_

_Former Human/ Uploaded Intelligence_

_15 March 2177 – 1115_

* * *

The ship's bridge thrummed with activity as various sensor stations were operated on by the ship's Huragok, with the two new recent additions to the crew, Floats with Assistance and Joyfully Levitates. As the sensors continued to track the subterranean creatures down below, the front mounted weapons system was undergoing a diagnostics check to prepare for orbital bombardment. The configuration was set for a series of 3 bolts per firing sequence and two per charge of the weapon. The ship glided silently in the planet's stratosphere in a holding position of the Alliance pioneer team, completely unaware of the silent protector watching over them.

Seeing that the current operation was going smoothly, Worm transferred his consciousness over to the recently completed Hardlight seed manufacturing shipyard in empty space. Monitor 661 reported that plans for construction of the upgraded Phoenix class colony ships were underway, and mining of several systems' asteroid belts were sufficient for raw materials. Estimated time to completion was reported as being 3 years with more on the way as the Constructors built more shipyards every six months and a greater flow of raw materials entered the production facilities.

Elsewhere, Monitors 232 and 211 reported that the terraforming of remote systems were progressing well and the completion of the establishment of basic infrastructure and suborbital defenses would take around 7 years for completion. The 12 planets would be able to handle the influx of refugees when war would come to the Citadel in the coming decade. _At least we can avoid that clusterfuck, Sanctuary, if we can't get rid of Cerberus in time._

Monitor 339 reported that the sentinel production facilities had begun construction and would be operational in 17 months' time. Monitor 441 reported the food production facilities on Harvest were well underway and food stores for the refugee centers would be at optimal capacity in 5 years.

Monitor 512 reported that no suspicious activity was occurring in the Omega 4 relay and Monitor 561 reported that no activity was being reported in the Bahak system.

All of this was completed in the span of 5 seconds, a lifetime for Worm in his new world. He enjoyed the freedom of being able to see and have all the information he could want at his fingertips. There were times that he missed the ability to taste and touch the world around him, but the novelty and excitement of his new form quickly relieved such emotions. However, worry still plagued his now electronic mind. The source of his troubles was the emotive state of his best friend, or lack thereof. _Mac's always been serious during a mission, but he enjoyed cutting loose during downtime._ He had neglected to say anything to his friend, believing he was only shaking off the shocking new revelations thrust onto him and his new duty. _It's been half a year already and he hasn't even cracked a smile or joke at all._

Worm's concern over his friend was interrupted by a voice over the comms to the ship. _"Worm, what is the situation like underground, I've got eyes on the pioneer team?"_

Worm sighed at the man's complete professionalism. "The two giant worms are swimming through the earth just fine. I don't think their feeding time has started yet. I've triangulated the position of the Cerberus base now if you want the coordinates."

There was a short pause before the reply came in. _"Hold off on that, I want to make sure the pioneers are safe before I clean house."_

"Well, it looks like that's going to be awhile befo- hold on, sensors just picked up an infrasonic shockwave going off underneath the pioneers' position. The worms are moving towards the disturbance."

"Firing mission cleared hot, Worm. Fire when targets are designated."

As the thresher maws erupted from the ground near the pioneers' location, a soft chime emanated from the targeting computer for the weapons systems, signaling a lock on the target. Six golden bolts of ionized particles accelerated towards the ground below.

* * *

_On the Ground_

_Operations Chief Meriwether Carmichael _

_Alliance Pioneers_

* * *

The scouting mission on Akuze had been proceeding smoothly and had been a routine mission with soil samples, atmospheric readings and appraisal of natural resources. The members of the pioneer team were going through the motions, as they collected the data that would be forwarded to the Alliance on their return. That is until giant monsters erupted from the ground underneath their feet.

"The mission would be easy, they said. You'll just be taking soil samples, they said. It'll be safe, they said. They didn't say anything about GIANT. FUCKING. WORMS!" A young geologist was voicing the thoughts of the remaining members of the pioneer team.

Team leader Chief Carmichael was on the verge of despair in the face of the giant monstrosities that claimed their vehicle. "That thing just ate the Mako," he breathed in disbelief. He collected his disorganized long enough to issue an order. "GET BACK TO THE SHIP! RUN FOR IT!" However, a second thresher maw chose this time to make its presence known by erupting from the ground, blocking the pioneer team from their only means of escape from Akuze.

The new creature rent apart PFC Santano, a young marine straight out from basic. As his deathcry resonated in the minds of the rest of the team, they could only stand rooted to where they stood, petrified in abject fear. When the thresher maws began gathering a glob of viscous acid for a projectile attack, six columns of golden light rained down from the sky and struck the hostile creatures. Where they were just before staring in fear and horror at the fearsome creatures, the pioneer team was now staring awestruck at the hulking masses disintegrating into golden particles.

The vocal young geologist spoke up once again. "Uh, guys… what the fuck just happened?"

Carmichael, a man raised as Christian but having lost his faith long ago, could only reply. "It must have been an act of God. Or one of his angels."

The geologist turned to him in disbelief. "Really?! Just what makes you think this was something supernatural?"

"Then what else could it be? Answer that." The team could offer no rebuttal to his assertion.

_Back aboard the Shadow of Hope_

_"Good effect on target, Worm. Targets are breaking up. I'm moving to the secondary objective."_

Worm sighed inwardly. _All work and no play. He needs someone to talk to besides me, but who can he talk to? _He was interrupted from his reverie by another transmission.

_"Worm, you got any readings on that Cerberus base right now?"_

"Well, the sensors say that they aren't doing anything, as in they're just standing still. So they're probably confused why their little 'experiment' failed stupendously. What exactly are you going to in there anyways?"

There was a pause in the comm. _"Oh you know, a little this, a little that, interrupt a phone call, steal their stuff and then kill everything. You know, the usual." _

Worm chuckled at his friend's rare instance of humor. "Alright, take pictures." The transmission was cut out after that. Max carried out his duties with more enthusiasm, grateful that there was still something of his best friend left to save.

* * *

_Cronos Station_

_Jack Harper_

_Present Time_

* * *

As the holographic projector came to life in front of him for the second time today, Jack Harper set down his glass of bourbon on his armchair. The man in front of him was clearly distraught and was wringing his hands nervously, waiting for his employer to speak. The Illusive Man took another drag on his smoke before speaking.

"Dr. Wayne, I was expecting a report telling me your 'experiment' was a success, though I can clearly see it wasn't. Care to tell me how you failed a simple _experiment_? I don't think I need to remind what my tolerance for failure is in this organization."

Before the good doctor could reply, a bright blue blade erupted from his throat and abdomen, leaving a bewildered face crossing his features, as the last vestiges of life seeped away from his body. The soon to be corpse was thrown up and away from the projection, leaving the doctor's feet to be the last image in the projector. The Illusive Man raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the death of one of his project leads and waited patiently for the culprit to present itself.

Sure enough, a heavily armored, humanoid figure appeared in the dead doctor's stead. Harper took a drag on his smoke and addressed the enigma in front of him. "I suppose you have a good reason for disrupting one of my operations and executing one of my researchers. I take it you want to speak with me, given that you are still in the communicator."

The figure stood still and made no sound in denial or affirmation of Harper's statement. Slightly annoyed by the silence, Harper continued speaking. "I also suspect that one of your aliases is in fact the Ghost of Elysium, given your stealthy infiltration into the facility. If my suspicions are correct, you are human."

Harper paused and drew more smoke from his cigarette, slightly unnerved by the man's continued silence. "My organization has a place for a man of your abilities. Our goal is the advancement of humanity to-"

Before he could finish, the enigmatic figure conjured up a blade of energy on his right arm and made a movement to slash through the components of the communicator. The holographic projection cut out shortly thereafter. The Illusive Man pulled up a still from the recording device. _Now, who are you?_

* * *

_Akuze_

_Christopher "Mac" Zheng_

_15 March 2177 – 1210_

* * *

I deactivated the energy dagger from my right arm and retrieved both M7S smgs from my sides. I then activated the comm link to the _Shadow of Hope. _"Worm, I'm about to patch you into the base's systems. Disable all power systems and block all outgoing communications. It's time to go hunting."

_"Alright, Mac. Lights out in 5-4-3-2-1. Scanners show you've got around 15 other bodies in there with you. Hope these dogs aren't scared of the dark. Good hunting brotha, and make the bastards scream for me."_

"Not a problem." I reply grimly. With an impulse going through my neural interface, I activate the promethean scanner on my HUD, lighting up the Cerberus operatives wandering around, confused at the sudden lack of power. A researcher enters the room, reaching out to the walls to make his way to the now disabled command console. I level my right arm at the hapless scientist's head and pull the trigger. A few soft puffs of air later, the corpse falls to the ground with the man's skull in fragments and face in fleshy tatters. I pull up a scan of the facility from the ship and notice a large grouping of 7 bodies in a circle at the mess hall, and make my way towards my next set of targets.

As I near the mess, I can hear voices in worried tones. "Are we sure that we should have sent Polaski alone? What if this wasn't an accident or equipment failure."

"Relax Vasquez. I'm sure we would know if we something happened to Dr. Wa- urk!" The man's reply was cut off by a blade of blue energy going through the back of his neck and out his throat. I deactivate my camo systems briefly and then kick the dead body in the back, off my blade and stand with both daggers activated at my sides and at the ready.

I couldn't help myself from having a little fun in the situation. "Boo." Before the frightened researchers could scream, I kicked the back of one's knee and slammed the blade through his eye socket and out the back of his skull, flash cooking the grey matter within. As I pull out my right arm, I sweep my left across the throat of another victim, nearly decapitating her head. She futilely gasps for air as she moves to cover the deep gash in her throat with her hands, blood spilling across her front. I then deactivate both blades and engage my camouflage suite and back away from the remaining members of the party and lie in wait. Sure enough the remaining researcher a woman and three men scream in pure terror. I pull up the map and see that the other seven members of the facility come running into the room. I notice that these figures appear to be armed and armored, though nothing my weapons couldn't punch through.

The head security officer questioned the remaining distraught scientists. "What happened?"

The woman proceeded to hysterically reply. "IT- IT'S A M-MON-MONSTER! WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!"

"Whoa, now calm down Dr. Vasquez, now what can you tell me…" The guard trails off as one of his squad illuminates one of the bodies with his rifle mounted flashlight. "Holy shit," he breathed.

Before the security can form a response, I thumb the activation sequence for the pulse grenade on my belt and tossed it into their midst. Four of the guards disintegrated in the initial blast of the grenade and the rest were captivated in intrigue and horror at the sight of the unnatural phenomenon. I dispatch the rest of the guards with quick bursts from my two weapons into the backs of their heads, leaving the four researchers cowering in fear. I deactivate my camouflage and holster my weapons as I address the group. "I WANT YOU IN A LINE AND ON YOUR KNEES WITH HANDS ON YOUR HEAD! ONE WRONG MOVE AND A BULLET FINDS A HOME IN YOUR SKULL!"

I pull up a chair and activate my helmet lamp as I set myself down in front of the first researcher, a middle-aged Caucasian male. Thinking he was in no immediate danger, he roared defiantly at me. "How dare you attack a Cerberus base! The work we're doing here is for the good of humanity! The Illusive Man will have your head when he finds ou-"

I draw my sidearm quickly and firmly press the muzzle into his forehead. "Wrong answer, and I didn't even get to ask my question yet." I pull the trigger and turn the back of the man's head into a fine pink mist. I then shift my gaze over to the next researcher, a darker skinned fellow. "You what's your name?"

He gulps nervously before he replies. "M-my name is Niraj P-Patel."

"So, Niraj, what did you do here, in this – wonderful facility. " I gesture around to the rest of the room we were currently in.

"We, uh, performed experiments, on the effects of Thresher Maw venom and acid on humans."

"Uh, huh. Now tell me, how exactly were you supposed to get volunteers for this little '_experiment?'_ I don't imagine many people would willingly poison themselves with venom and dissolve their skin with acid."

"We were going to use the dead from Thresher Maw attacks on the planet. The pioneer team and whatever forces the alliance sent in to investigate."

"Alright, so now big question, did you think the experiment was necessary?"

"Well, y-yes. How else were we supposed to find a treatment for Thresher attacks? I-I'm sure if you can see reason we could-" I don't let the man finish his sentence as a round enters his brain as well, silencing the deluded researcher for good. I stand up and shake my head, muttering aloud, "I've seen enough." I turn to the last male scientist and pistol whip him across the face, fracturing his cheekbone and rendering him unconscious. I turn to the last researcher who is visibly shaking on the floor, tears streaking down her face.

She whimpered, "Please, please spare me. I-I didn't know they were going to be doing these kinds of experiments. I'm just a neuroscientist, and all they told me before I came here was that I would be finding a treatment for a neurotoxin fatal to humans. I-I-I..." I holster my pistol and hold up my left hand to indicate to her to stop. I release the seals on my helmet and remove it as I kneel down in front of her, a genuine look of concern on my face.

"Dr. Elena Vasquez are you alright?"

"H-How do you know my name?"

I withdraw a thermal blanket from my armor's hardcase and drape it over her shoulders. "I've been looking for you for quite some time, and I need your help. Honestly, I wish I had gotten to you first before the Illusive Man so you wouldn't have been a part of this massacre, but I needed the sole survivor to report that you were likely dead. I didn't want Cerberus to chase after a woman who clearly doesn't belong there."

She sniffled before responding, "But did you have to put them down so mercilessly? Couldn't you have spared them?"

I shake my head in response. "I'm sorry, but these people decided that sacrificing good men was necessary to improve humanity. Good men with families waiting for them back home. I can't let monsters like these bastards live, doctor. The only reason you were spared is because I knew you weren't privy to the details until it was too late." I offer my hand to help her up and she takes it standing up unsteadily, still shaken by the trauma of seeing her colleagues slaughtered in front of her. "Now about my offer, I understand if you wish to walk away and live a normal life, but I need your help. I can offer you a new identity and funds to start your new life if you choose to walk away."

"How do I know you won't use me like they did?"

I hang my head in sorrow. "I'm not proud of the things I do doctor, but I am a protector, and I don't needlessly waste lives to advance my own agenda for power. I just want to save them, to save as many as I can. I hope you can take my word for it."

After a few tense seconds of deliberation Dr. Vasquez responds to my offer. "Alright, I suppose I can trust you, since you went through the trouble of trying to get me intact. I'll work for you, but on one condition, full disclosure on what and why you're doing as a full partner."

I hold out my hand and she shakes it. I offer a genuine smile at her answer. "Wouldn't have it any other way Doc. I'll get my buddy to forward you all the files you need once we get to my ship."

"I don't suppose you have a name do you?"

"Name's Mac Doc, so you ready to get out of here?"

"Yes, I think I am fine, let's head through the main atrium and through the garage, we can fly the shuttle to your ship."

I put a hand on her shoulder and don my helmet. "Relax Doc, we don't need shuttles where we're going. Also try to hold in your lunch."

She stared at me in confusion as a golden flash enveloped the two of us. Instantaneously the two of us are keeling over on the deck plate of the _Shadow of Hope. Still can't get used to that damn teleporter._

I key my comms to the bridge. "Worm take us down to the planet, I want to check up on those pioneers personally.

_"Alright, one dramatic landing with a hint of the supernatural coming right up. Expect many of the pioneers' jaws on the ground as you exit the airlock."_

I groan inwardly at Worm's antics. I then notice Dr. Vasquez looking at me quizzically at our brief exchange. "Yeah, his humor grows on you… eventually." The thrum of atmospheric reentry along the hull is the only response I receive.

* * *

_On the Ground_

_Operations Chief Meriwether Carmichael _

_Alliance Pioneers_

* * *

Chief Carmichael and his team were just exiting their ship, which showed clear signs of tampering with the engineering compartment. Their presence on the planet was growing increasingly more suspicious, due to their encounter with the 'giant worms' and then their salvation by golden beams of light.

As the team discussed recent events, the sound of landing thrusters and a cloud of dust rose up from the ground. Although the team was no stranger to ship landings, the lack of any ship causing such a telltale disturbance confused the Alliance pioneers.

Suddenly, a ship shimmered into existence before their very lives, revealing its predatory design and its sleek flowing lines that seemed to blend into the background. The seamless hull opened underneath to lower a ramp towards the ground as the unknown vessel hovered in place. A lone black armored figure stepped into view and made his way over to the gaping Alliance personnel. The mysterious stranger then spoke in a masculine, undeniably human voice.

_"Are you boys alright? Looked like a hell of a mess here."_

Carmichael decided to collect his thoughts enough to respond. "Uh, yeah, we almost bit the dust back there. Um, did you, uh kill those giant worm things?"

The man shrugged, _"Yeah more or less. I can see your ship isn't functional. I would give you a ride, but I've got somewhere I need to be, but don't worry, the SSV Einstein is en route to pick you up. I just came to make sure all of you were ok, so don't mind me."_ The figure gave a crisp salute and turned away from the pioneers signifying his departure.

"Wait, what's your name? I'd at least like to be able to thank you for saving us by name."

The man stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder, _"You can call me… Ghost." _As he stepped aboard the ramp, he dissolved into the background and so did the ship, leaving a cloud of dust behind as it took off.

Carmichael addressed a member of his team, "Holston, please tell me your helmet cam, recorded everything. Cause I'd like to know if I just lost my marbles."

"Yeah Chief, all the data is stored on my omni. And, uh, for the record, I think we've all gone nuts here."

Carmichael shook his head. "Son of a bitch, I need a damn drink." The team mumbled unanimously in agreement.

**_CODEX_**

Phoenix Class Colony Ships (Upgraded)

These ships are upgraded versions of the battle converted colony ships such as the UNSC Spirit of Fire. While the frame and design remains largely unchanged, the interior and capabilities of the craft are vastly changed and improved. The ships have been remodeled to mostly ferry refugees from doomed planets to a fortified world. While the boarding of civilians and their evacuation is their chief focus, the vessels are anything but glass cannons. Their meter thick Titanium-A armor and Forerunner shielding, make them a formidable force on the battlefield, whether in space or on ground operations. Their armament also includes a Forerunner energy projector and a series of deck guns along the "top" and "bottom" sides of the hull for point defense. A significant contingent of sentinel drones is also present to scan for indoctrinated and to repel boarders. However, it should be noted that a Phoenix Ship takes significant resources and time to construct and arm, even with advanced Forerunner construction techniques. Current projections with continuous construction of ships and constant creation of new shipyards have around a dozen ships completed by 2186, leading to the ships' limited numbers being their one flaw. They will primarily be used for evacuation of civilians and hard hitting guerilla tactics. The unused shipyards are planned for retrofit and repair operations of all Phoenix ships as well as Citadel forces once the Reaper War begins.

Monitor Operations

Aboard the Shadow of Hope were a contingent of programmable Monitor AI Constructs. These monitors were constructed artificially and designed to be slightly more advanced than UNSC Smart AIs but resembling Dumb AIs in their limited operational functions. All Monitor Operations are observed and cleared through Max "Worm" Hill. (It should also be noted that the naming conventions were assigned by Max Hill, though a discernable pattern cannot be discerned and appears to be completely random.) The Monitors and their operations are listed below.

_Monitor 661 – Fleet Construction_

-Monitor 661 is tasked with the supervision of the construction of the vital Phoenix Ships and their shipyards in order to prepare for the humanitarian operations vital for the upcoming Reaper War. It's duties also cover mining operations for collecting resources to build the ships. The location of the shipyards are largely unknown, with supply lanes mainly committed to slipspace transit and the delivery location situated somewhere in empty space, far from the location of any Mass Relays, allowing for construction in utmost secrecy.

_Monitors 512 and 561 – Intelligence Gathering and 'Monitoring' of Key Reaper Assets_

-Monitor 512 is tasked with monitoring the Collectors' actions and report the activation of the Omega-4 relay. This task will largely come to play in post-Saren operations.

-Monitor 561 is tasked with monitoring activity outside the edges of the Bahak System, far above the galactic plane. No activity has been reported so far.

_Monitor 441 – Food Production_

-Monitor 441 has been tasked with establishing agricultural operations on the world of Harvest, which is coincidentally far from any Mass Relays, thus allowing a safe production of food for refugee influxes in the coming war. Production is slow however, as infrastructure and crop rotations are established for the bountiful planet. Current projections for full-scale planet wide production is estimated at 5-6 years. Several isolated dextro-amino greenhouse vertical farms are in use to support the dextro community in the conflict.

_Monitor 339 – Sentinel Production_

-Monitor 339 is tasked with maintaining the production of Sentinel forces to support the various operations in progress at this time. The lines of production are mainly focused on creating more Strato-Sentinels for Terraforming and Mining operations in support of Monitors 661,441, 232 and 211. Additionally, Guardian Sentinels are slated for production in 3 years once the required number for Strato-Sentinels in resource gathering and terraforming have been acquired. These models will be used in conjunction with the orbital defense platforms to guard the refugees fleeing to these areas. After four years in 2184, production lines will shift to full-scale production of Onyx-Sentinels for Phoenix Ship defense and ground support operations. Numbers on sentinel force strength is classified and has been redacted from this report.

_Monitors 232 and 211 – Terraforming and Defense of Refugee Planets_

-Monitor 232 is tasked with terraforming the twelve earth sized planets and establishing basic infrastructure and facilities to house the refugees on these worlds until Hostilities have ended. Estimated time to completion is approximately in seven years in 2184.

-Monitor 211 is tasked with establishing and ensuring the defense of refugee centers via orbital defense platforms and Guardian sentinels. Typical defense strength consists of 10 geosynchronous orbital platforms arrayed with plasma turrets and a complement of Guardian and Onyx Sentinels for defense.

_Monitor 101 – Catalyst/Crucible_

-ERROR – Monitor 101 has not been activated, all programmed duties are classified

* * *

_A/N_

_Sorry about the wait there guys, I went through several drafts trying to get the initial meeting with the Illusive Man right. At first I was planning on a very hostile confrontation, but then I couldn't see how I could incorporate Mac into the Normandy SR-2 if I pissed off TIM too much. Plus, I like a little intrigue in the story, gives me some leeway into how they do business later on. Also I added an OC, Dr. Elena Vasquez to the story, so there is a better dynamic in Mac's little operations until ME1, as Mac and Worm's antics will get old fairly quickly. Don't worry, she won't be infatuated with Mac anytime soon (or at all), as she is too terrified of the man. I'll likely develop a close friendship between the three as they work together aboard the ship. Try to guess what kind of work Mac needs her for, though I am sure I was pretty obvious when I introduced her._

_Leave your thoughts on the Monitor Operations I added into the story. I feel I balanced them enough to not be able to overwhelm the Reapers, but still be a significant War Asset later on. The Phoenix ships may be powerful, but against a prolonged space battle with the reapers, they will be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. They will mostly fill a support role in space and ground operations. My aim was for Mac to have an impact outside of the Normandy, but I also didn't want to have him be able to completely steamroll the Reapers when the fighting starts. The enemy has __billions__ of ships, so I don't think Mac's forces will do much more than augment the Citadel forces and provide needed humanitarian aid. I always hated the crowding on the Citadel in ME3 and despised Sanctuary to a fault. Might have been needed for the plot, but hey I'm not here to rehash ME3. I mainly want to explore how many lives can be saved with careful planning. Also remember that Mac's actions are largely in the shadows and won't be revealed to the wide galaxy until war breaks out, so the main events leading up to the Reaper War will be mostly canon, I think. Leave your thoughts on how this chapter went, so I can improve._

_Next chapter will be filled with world building and dialogue, lots and lots of dialogue._


	5. Who is the Ghost?

Chapter 4 – Who is the Ghost?

* * *

_Aboard the SSV Einstein_

_Lieutenant Commander Hannah Shepard_

_Alliance Navy – XO of the Einstein_

_22 October 2177 – 2100, 7 months post-Akuze_

* * *

Commander Hannah Shepard sat in her office, going over the long list of status reports from the ship's many departments. Usually, she would have gone to the heads of these departments personally and gotten a verbal report to compose her own for the Captain. This was more for her own need to be personal with her subordinates than any operational demands of her position. However, going to each section of the kilometer long ship would be time consuming and lead her unable to carry out the rest of her duties.

Hannah sighed inwardly to herself. _I miss serving on the smaller ships, like the Hastings._ _Amelia always did love to cause mischief around the crew with her antics. I wonder how David is doing as the ship's XO now?_ As she ruminated over her past posting where she raised her only daughter, her thoughts drifted over to the current state of her daughter these past few months. _Ever since we picked up those pioneers at Akuze, the Alliance has been buzzing about with rumors of this 'Ghost,' and Amelia is certainly no different. _Hannah suspected that her daughter was more interested in the enigma's marksmanship capabilities than what actually happened at Akuze. _That girl, all she thinks about are rifles and how to improve her biotics. _

Frankly she wasn't all too impressed with the 'Ghost of Elysium' or more recently the 'Angel of Akuze.' _Why stay so secretive, if he has nothing to hide. _Her thoughts drifted to a call her daughter made after the trip to Akuze.

* * *

_Seven months ago…_

* * *

Her cabin's intercom came to life. _"Commander Shepard, you've got an incoming vid call. It's your daughter, ma'am."_

"Be a dear and patch her through to my terminal would you?" Hannah's terminal came to life shortly after with a video prompt on the screen. "Thank you Isabella," she said pleasantly. She put on a stern face to accept the call.

A window popped up with a brunette who had her long hair behind her in a ponytail. She was currently sporting a white tank top and a large grin on her face. Hannah stared into the bright blue eyes of her vibrant daughter.

"Good Evening Lieutenant."

"_Hey Mom!"_ Hannah's face immediately broke into a smile, unable to hide the joy of hearing her daughter's voice.

"Hey there yourself sweetie. How's N-school treating you so far?"

_"I'm kicking ass over here mom. I've broken records, that even Anderson set. I've already gone through to N5 training, now the Infiltrator and Adept N6 schools are fighting over which one gets to have me. I'm thinking about going through both of them."_

Concern crossed Hannah's features. "Be careful sweetie, I don't want you to overwork yourself. You don't have to prove yourself to anyone."

Amelia rolled her eyes. _"Relax mom, if I go through both of them it'll only take me eight months to complete the certification, instead of the usual five."_

"Well still, pace yourself. We can't have the Hero of Elysium collapsing during training now, can we?" Hannah goaded her daughter, succeeding in getting the reaction she was hoping for.

_"Ugh mom! You know how much I hate being called that!"_

"You did help a save a city and a few thousand civilians, I think that's plenty heroic."

_"Mom, I'm a soldier, not a celebrity. You know how much I hate being in the spotlight."_

Hannah chuckled at her daughter's discomfort. "Well then young lady, you shouldn't have rallied those defenders at Illyria's Capitol building, now should you. You made me so proud that day, Amelia. You're your father's little girl… he'd have been proud to see you today."

Amelia looked away briefly, a hint of sadness crossing her features. _"I'm not just dad's little girl mom, I'm yours too. When those marines were about to give up, I-I thought of what you would do, so don't sell yourself short mom… I miss him."_

"I miss him too sweetie, but he went out like he always wanted to, a gun in his hand and kicking ass."

Amelia chuckled at her mother's remark of her late father. _"Yeah you're right. But I think the Ghost was the real hero, since he kept all those innocent people from being enslaved."_

Hannah frowned, "Sweetie, your eyes were probably just playing tricks that day. Even David said he had doubts about what the two of you had seen."

Amelia shared her mother's frown, "_I know what I saw, mom_, _and the guy disappeared into thin air. He's a ghost if there ever was one._"

Hannah sighed loudly in exasperation, "You know, you're not the only person to talk about a ghost saving the day. We just picked up a group of pioneers that say they were rescued by an angel."

_"Is that what he called himself?"_

Hannah shook her head. "No, the video recording the pioneers had, had him calling himself 'Ghost.' I was more impressed by how the worms that attacked them died and his little disappearing act with his ship."

_"Was there a bright golden flash of light when he disappeared?"_

"No, he just disappeared into the background but there were some golden beams of light that killed the giant creatures. I'm not exactly sure what I saw in that video to be honest."

_"…Mom, can you send me a video frame showing the man in armor."_

"Sure, hold on…" with a few button presses, Hannah selected a video frame showing the profile of the enigmatic figure. "There, it should be on its way to your console now."

As Hannah viewed her daughter opening up the picture she heard Amelia give a sharp intake of breath. _"Mom, th-that's him. That's the Ghost!"_

* * *

_Present Time_

* * *

Hannah sighed again, this time aloud to her empty cabin. _Amelia just had to pressure me into showing David the footage. Now everything that happened on Akuze is classified. David's been raising up a storm over this 'Ghost,' trying to work him into the fold somehow for the upcoming pirate counteroffensive._

Currently, the _Einstein _was headed to Arcturus Station for resupply, which was the official story. Unofficially, she was supposed to meet with some admirals and Anderson to find out how to elicit the "Ghost's" help. Hannah pressed the intercom button on her terminal to contact the helm.

"Isabella, what is our ETA to Arcturus?"

_"Ma'am our current journey will take us around 360 hours until we are at Arcturus for resupply."_

"Thank you, dear." With a loud yawn, Hannah shut down her terminal and proceeded to rest for the day.

* * *

_Aboard the Shadow of Hope_

_Dr. Elena Vasquez_

_Chief Science Officer_

_October 23 0900_

* * *

Elena rubbed her tired eyes as she inspected the holographic projection in her lab. The 'Reaper' artifact was an enigma as much as her employer was. The information, which Mac was incredibly forthcoming about, on its capabilities for indoctrination were extremely disconcerting. _To think that Mac wants me to somehow reverse indoctrination seems impossible. I'd need a biological agent capable of affecting neural processes at the cellular level and influencing their behavior, but there isn't anything like that in nature or currently produced synthetically that can be used cross-species, at least, not that I know of. I hope he doesn't want that cure anytime soon. Perhaps a retrovirus would work, nonono that could destroy the neural tissue altogether, or cause tumors. Maybe altering the extra-cellular matrix between neuro-_

She was interrupted from her scientific inquiry by a synthetic voice behind her. "_So, how's my favorite sizzling scientist doing today?_"

Elena sighed and turned towards her lab's holographic projector. The figure's face was like a seasoned soldier, hardened and chiseled through years of fighting but hidden within those eyes was a certain gentleness and mirth. He was clothed in a doctor's white lab coat, contrasting greatly with his facial features. _I thought he was a damn AI at first, but to learn that he used to be an organic human being. _The many things that Mac debriefed her on was overwhelming, though he said there were some things that she could not know. One of which was what Max was doing all the time besides operating on the ship with the Huragok, another oddity she had come acquainted with recently. "Still racking my brain on how to counteract indoctrination. Your friend likes to have me do the impossible."

Max shrugged, _"Well, what can we say? Impossible seems to be our MO recently."_

"Yeah all this talk about giant sentient starships, humanity's long lost ancestors and uploaded humans is a little hard to take in. Though, I would like to know what you and Mac are doing to fight these things."

_"Sorry, but that isn't something we can tell you, least not yet. Can't have the Reapers know what all of our plans are after all, and you would be a significant security risk due to your research. But don't worry, we'll tell you what we're doing soon enough."_

"I was expecting 'full disclosure when I joined up you know." Elena said crossing her arms indignantly.

_"And you have more information on what's coming than the whole galaxy at the moment, so I'd tone down the proud researcher act a bit."_

She huffed in disappointment, feeling that although she was doing important research, she couldn't help but feel like a pawn like she did with Cerberus. Silence occupied the lab for several seconds.

_"So… still afraid of our resident 'ghost?'"_

She grimaced a bit at being reminded of her initial encounter with Mac. The man was a fearsome warrior, and cruel when he needed to be, but he was also kind and gentle in his own way. _That was not my proudest moment._ "I've gotten used to him, but he is still a little frightening. Is he always so serious?"

Max looked saddened at the question. "_He wasn't always like this."_ He then resumed to his normal demeanor. _"But that wasn't what I wanted to tell you, we'll soon have a new crew member, and he's quite the old timer." _With that, the hologram winked out of existence.

Elena looked confusedly at the empty projector.

* * *

_Elsewhere on the ship_

_Christopher "Mac" Zheng_

* * *

I stepped out of the pod, feeling incredibly groggy after the intensive neural scanning. I grunt in discomfort as I try to confirm the procedure was a success. "So, uh… did it work."

A hologram of a regal long haired man with white facial markings across the bridge of his nose and on his chin winked to life. **_"_****It did Christopher, though I am but a shadow of my former self, being incomplete in your mind. I can now aid Max with his operations while the two of you make yourselves known to the galaxy as war draws near."**

Worm's avatar came to life next to Forthencho's. _"Sweet, so I can go on more field trips? When do you start old-timer?"_

**"****Soon, but first, I must get used to operating this ship and your operations. Will you and Max be joining the Alliance at Torfan?"**

_"Yeah , we'll be headed there soon. Just have to jettison the damn Reaper artifact into the sun, when Doc is finished studying the artifact today. She says she's gotten all she can from it, in terms of data. Personally, I'm glad we're getting rid of the damn thing, it's bad news."_

I nod in agreement. "Everyone clear on what our plans are for this mission?"

_"Yeah, you go in, sabotage the base and then link up with the Alliance and kill things… so I take it you're going strictly UNSC only on Torfan?"_ I nod in agreement. Worm sighs in displeasure. _"Fine, but at least take the Spartan Laser and the M739 with you. You're going to need the firepower."_

I nod, knowing the battle ahead will be a fierce one, and one where I need to make sure Shepard avoids the title of the Butcher of Torfan. I turn to Forthencho's projection. "So, Lord of Admirals, you ready fly the ship to Alliance Headquarters?"

He smiled in anticipation, **"Yes, I look forward to seeing these more 'peaceful' descendants of mine. Perhaps they are more suited to defend the Mantle than we were in my time."**

"Let's hope so Admiral, for all our sakes."

* * *

_Arcturus Station_

_Vice Admiral Steven Hackett_

_Commander of Alliance Fifth Fleet_

_24 October 2177 - 1200_

* * *

Hackett walked down the blue lit steel hallway towards the oak paneled doors in front of him. As he opened the doors in front of him, he turned towards his security detail. "Alright you two, dismissed. Nobody in this room is going to kill me, I can assure you of that." The two marines reluctantly followed his orders and moved away to enjoy the leave.

Hackett strode through the double doors and noticed four people in front of him Rear Admirals Kahouku, and Mikhailovich and Commanders David Anderson and Hannah Shepard, four of the most trustworthy and incorruptible people he knew, and the only ones in his inner circle he would trust with this operation. The four officers quickly stood up and saluted their superior with utmost respect. Hackett returned the salute and gestured them to sit down.

"At ease all of you, no need for formalities here. For all intents and purposes, this meeting did not exist, am I understood?" The four relaxed and nodded.

Satisfied, he continued, "As the four of you know, ever since the Blitz, we've been gunning for the Batarians' proxy forces and hit them hard. There have been some successful raids in the Skyllian Verge against pirate outposts, but nothing we've hit has the infrastructure to support something like the raid on Elysium. Frankly the public wants blood, and I'm willing to give it to them."

Kahoku spoke up "Did Intel pick up on their main hub in the Verge?"

Hackett nodded, "They've found a hub world called Torfan, and we know where it is. The analysts think the pirates are well dug in. It's going to be a hell of a fight to bring the place down." He paused to gather his thoughts. "But that isn't why I've called all of you here today."

Mikhailovich spoke up, "I take it that this meeting is about the 'Ghost'?"

"Yes, he's done good work for us on Elysium and Akuze. And after seeing the video footage from the pioneer team, most of the brass, including myself, think of him as a potential Tier One asset."

"And you want him brought into the fold." Anderson stated more than asked.

"I'm a little apprehensive on asking him for help Steve, I don't think the man would be sneaking around if he didn't have something to hide?"

"I've considered that as well, but the man has done nothing but help us, so I say we give him a chance Hannah. Your daughter agrees with me as well." Anderson told his friend.

Hannah shook her head, "Well it doesn't very well matter if we want him with us or not, the man is called 'Ghost' for a good reason. Nobody has heard a peep from him since Akuze."

Hackett nodded, "And that's why I've got the lot of you here today. I want your ideas on how we can get his attention and bring him onto the upcoming Torfan operation."

**"You've already got it Admiral." **All five officers turned quickly to the new voice in the room, to see a black armored figure materialize out of thin air.

Hackett was the first to recover from the shock. "I take it you're Ghost."

**"Yes sir, hold on a minute while I disable any recording devices." **A faint crackling filled the air in the room, making everyone's hair stand on end. The figure removed his helmet revealing a relatively handsome face with long brown hair tied back with Asian features prevalent on his face. The striking features were the white streaks adorning his face above his left eyebrow and going down from his left forehead and across the eye onto the cheek. The man smartly came to attention and gave off a crisp salute. "Ghost reporting for duty sir."

Hackett returned the salute and addressed the man in front of him. "At ease. Mind telling me how long you have been in this room."

The enigmatic figure smiled, "Been here since Commander Anderson walked in this room, sir. I feel flattered that I'm in such high demand."

Mikhailovich chose this moment to speak up. "So, you're ghost huh? Hell of a thing you did on Elysium. If you hadn't taken out Haliat's command structure, Illyria may well have been lost."

Ghost shook his head, "I'm just one man sir, I believe the Lioness of Elysium would have done just fine without my help." He nodded towards Hannah.

"That business you did on Akuze was a damn good operation. I thank you for saving my men." Kahoku chose to give his two cents. Ghost nodded in assent.

Hackett chose to refocus everyone's attention. "Alright Ghost, we know what you can do and that's why we're asking for your help. I gather you know about Torfan as well?"

Ghost nodded, "Yes, my ship has already done scans of the moon, and it isn't a clean target, especially for a frontal assault." He pulled out a palm sized disk and laid it on the table. A projection of Torfan popped up and then zoomed in on a highlighted artificial structure going deep into the crust. "There's an extensive underground tunnel network underneath the main bunker and the command center and strategic targets are well underground."

"That'd be a goddamn slaughter!" Anderson breathed.

Ghost nodded, "That's why I'd like to volunteer for saboteur duty before you move in for the kill."

"Well you gave us some actionable intel here, but you could have given us this info anonymously. What's the real reason you're here in a room full of people looking for your help?" Mikhailovich inquired.

"I can do the saboteur duty by myself and destroy any AA guns, and hard targets before you get there. Just give me a few weeks and you can roll right in with minimal casualties."

"I sense a 'but' somewhere in your statement." Hannah stated.

Ghost turned to her and replied, "I'll need a team of three others to hit their command center and eliminate the HVTs."

Hackett asked Ghost, "Do you have anyone in mind specifically?"

"N7s would be preferable, but there is one person that I had in mind." He grinned. "Lieutenant Shepard, Lioness of Elysium."

* * *

_Rio de Janeiro – The Villa_

_2__nd__ Lieutenant Amelia Patricia Shepard_

_ICT Trainee – (Recent N6 Sniper School Graduate)_

_20 November 2177 – 0900 - 3 days until Torfan Invasion_

* * *

She walked down the dusty pathway to the building where she would receive the details on her upcoming N7 evaluation op. She would have been here sooner if not for her choice to go through Adept schooling and then Infiltrator school. But, here she was now, a highly trained operator ready to get in the fight.

She walked into the dimly lit briefing room and noticed 20 other people in the room as well. She snapped to attention and gave a salute as she noticed the flag officer near the holotable in the center of the room. "Lieutenant Shepard reporting for duty sir!"

"At ease young lady, you're among Ns here so stand at ease and get comfortable." Amelia went over to one of the empty seats. "Alright everyone, let me introduce myself. Name's Kahoku and you've all just pulled into an op." A holographic projection of a moon popped up on the central table. "This is Torfan, and its where the Batarian bastards staged their little campaign in the Skylian Verge, one of you was there on Elysium holding the line. Kudos by the way." The man nodded to her. She lightly blushed at the attention and mention of her heroics.

"The Alliance wants blood and this moon is just the place we're going to give it. Second and Fifth Fleet will be rolling in and blockade anyone from leaving the moon by holding in orbit. Ground pounders will go in and kill or capture any pirates that are in that damn rock. We've also got actionable intel that there are civilians on that moon, so watch your targets. Any questions so far?"

A Staff Sergeant with an N7 patch on his uniform raised his hand. "How are the ships going to hold orbit? Won't AA fire knock out our birds from the sky?"

Kahoku smiled. "That's where you all come in." A familiar armored figure came up and replaced the projection much to Amelia's astonishment. "This is –"

"Ghost." Amelia breathed.

Kahoku continued on despite the interruption. "Yes, this is 'Ghost' and he's our Tier One asset on the ground for this op. Man's been on that moon for the past month laying the ground work for a successful invasion. Explosives, sabotage, targeting beacons, you name it he's done it."

This time another N7, a Lieutenant Commander, spoke up. "Sir, I've heard about what this guy can do. He's a one man army and a better infiltrator than half our operatives. So why are we needed for this op, when he's already done half the work?" There are several nods around the room, as well as Amelia's.

"Ghost wants to eliminate the base's command in the initial part of the invasion, and he wanted a team, the best of the best, and that's where you all come in. Three of you are to link up on the ground with him and cut a path through the underground tunnels to the command center and eliminate the base's commanders. The rest will soften up targets with sniper fire so the marines can go in. You'll be the first boots on the ground and the most important for this op, since once the leadership goes down, the whole base will be easy pickings."

The hologram switched to an Alliance cruiser. "This is the Cape Town. From here you're gonna rendezvous with Ghost's stealth ship and it'll insert you onto the moon undetected." He paused for a second. "We've agreed to not scan his ship or his equipment on the mission, since he's doing a lot of the legwork for us on the moon to minimize casualties. So Riley, keep that omni to yourself." The previous LC looked disappointedly at the admiral. Chuckles went around the room. "Alright people you're the best of the best, and you're N7s. Get ready to do the impossible."

Something didn't sit right with Amelia. "Sir, I haven't gone through my in field evaluation yet as an N6 to be certified as N7, so why am I here?"

Kahoku gave another grin, "Ah that's the kicker, you see Ghost wanted a team of three N7s down on the ground with him. Thing is he asked for you by name, the Lioness of Elysium. Consider this your field eval. Riley's your evaluator."

Amelia just sat there stunned "What the fuck?"

* * *

_Torfan_

_Christopher "Mac" Zheng_

_22 November 2177 – 2200 - 8 hours until Invasion of Torfan_

I placed the final C12 charge on the base's sixth and final power plant, rigging a receiver through the metal coolant pipes to connect with the rigging to the exhaust system leading up to the surface. _Demo work, was never my strongsuit. _I inspect my work and send a video feed to the ship.

"Worm, what do you think, will this work?"

_"Yeah it should do just fine, we're receiving a signal up here. 75 receivers clean across the board. Didn't think it would take you this long to rig 75 targets for demo."_

"Well, it wouldn't if I didn't have to rig a radio transceiver system through the base's damn piping. That shit took me two weeks just to be sure the damn charges blew up."

_"At least the AA emplacements weren't too hard, all you had to do was stick a charge in its barrel and the control panels and it's out of commission."_

"Yeah, lucky me. You rendezvous with the Alliance strike team yet?"

_"We're on our way to the Cape Town now, I'll tell them to keep their hands to themselves."_

"Alright, get back here quick, I'm gonna need air support when things get hot."

Worm's voice softened a bit._ "Be safe Mac, Worm out."_

The comm goes silent, and I make my way out of the reactor chamber and head towards the vent I used to enter the facility. I carefully remove the cover and make my way inside and replace it, leaving no trace of my existence. The duct was around two meters wide and tall, leaving me just enough room to duck a small amount to make my way through the duct. After ten minutes of silent walking I come upon the central exhaust pipe that was around 10 meters in diameter. An exhaust fan was running down below blowing up a steady stream of air towards the surface. I spot my rappelling rope I used to get down here and jump for it, grabbing on tightly with both hands. I wrap the rope around my right leg and trap it between my feet in an S-wrap and inch my way up to the 100 or so meters to the surface.

After many minutes of slow climbing, I clamber up over the edge of the circular exhaust vent with a grunt of effort and scan the area. _Looks like nobody's noticed me, time to head to the rendezvous point._ I quickly make my way across the complex of air defenses and watch towers as I make my way towards open ground, invisible to all those around me and ready to start off the day with some fireworks.

* * *

_A/N_

_Just some events leading up to the assault on Torfan. Two more chapters and we'll go right into the events of Mass Effect. Still haven't figured out if I'm going to give Mac upgraded shielding or not. The chapter after Torfan is a time skip chapter, and frankly I want to get into the main storyline already. Next chapter though, Mac and Shepard meet for the first (second) time with lots of gunfire and fighting. You'll get a glimpse of how they'll interact throughout the rest of the story. _

_Also, Worm will now be riding shotgun throughout Mac's time aboard the Normandy and Forthencho will head up the Monitor Operations and pilot the Shadow of Hope. Not sure what I'll do with Vasquez, but we'll see. Hope you enjoyed the Chapter! _


	6. Torfan's Wrath

Chapter 5 – Torfan's Wrath

* * *

_SSV Cape Town_

_2__nd__ Lieutenant Amelia Patricia Shepard_

_N6 Trainee_

_23 November 2177 – 0400 – 2 hours until invasion of Torfan_

* * *

The cruiser's normally quiet hanger bay was filled with the sounds of clinking weapon parts, soft oiling of metal shavers and barrels, beeps of targeting computers and snaps of reassembled weapons. Twenty elite operatives stood before their dismantled weapons, preparing for the fight ahead of them.

The calm preparations were interrupted by a certain Staff Sergeant Jones, to Amelia's chagrin. "So Shepard… you got a read on this Ghost guy?" Almost immediately, all weapons prep stopped to clue in on the conversation.

Amelia sighed, "NO, I don't have a clue who he is. Only met him once before and that was for like five seconds."

"C'mon, you were there on Elysium. You've seen his handiwork firsthand."

"Well he's a deadly sniper, likes to get in close and stab his enemies, makes the rest of the Infiltrator Corps look like amateurs and he's also just like his name a 'Ghost.' He shows up, saves some lives and then leaves, and nobody seems to be able to find him or his ship in the past year. Guy's more enigmatic than most spooks."

Riley took that moment to speak up, "Sounds like you know a lot about him. Hm… It almost sounds like you're one of his biggest fans."

Shepard lightly blushed, "Well yeah, I respect him!" She took a breath to steady herself. "I just know that if he hadn't done what he did a lot more people wouldn't have made it home that day, people that I couldn't get to in time no matter how hard I fought."

"So you think he's a hero." Riley stated.

"He is in my book, at least now I get to shake his hand and thank him afterwards."

"Word of advice Shepard, people like him don't hide from view, because they're shy. They do it cause they have something to hide, and it usually isn't good."

"What are you trying to say Riley?"

"All I'm saying is don't be disappointed when you meet him. He might not be the hero you think he is."

Before Amelia could offer her rebuttal the intercom buzzed to life overhead. _"Attention all hands, rendezvous with the Shadow of Hope in 10 minutes. Infiltration team, report to the hangar deck to board the ship."_

Riley called out to the 18 other operators, "Alright N's armor up, let's not keep this ghost ship waiting." There was a flurry of precise, quick activity as the weapons were now fully assembled and operational and armor was donned and clasped together in five minutes. The elevator was quickly filled with the 19 soldiers and a long agonizing wait was suffered in silence. The elevator dinged and opened up to the now empty hanger bay to make room for its new arrival. The N operatives made their way across the deck as the hanger bay door opened itself and a barrier was erected to prevent an explosive decompression. The mission timer read 10 minutes since the announcement, with not a ship in sight.

Jones spoke up, "Uh… guys I don't think the ship is here ye-"Just then the curved predatory lines of the _Shadow of Hope _shimmered into view along with the rest of its body, occupying the previously empty cargo bay as it glided in from the void. "…Whoa."

The seamless underbelly of the ship parted as a ramp was lowered down towards the hanger deck. Amelia spoke up, "Well, let's get on board, shall we." As the N7 operatives made their way onto the ship, they were greeting with the gleaming sight of white metal and blue lighting, contrasting greatly with the dark predatory exterior of the ship. Moments later, a holographic terminal winked into the life and showed a man in a lab coat with a hardened expression.

_"On the line N7s, we'll be on Torfan within the hour. Which one of you will lovely ladies be joining Ghost for his op?"_

Riley spoke up, "Combat Engineer Lieutenant Commander Riley reporting, as well as CQB specialist Staff Sergeant Jones and Biotic Infiltrator Second Lieutenant Shepard."

The hologram nodded. "_Callsign's Worm for this mission and I'll be providing intel from up here as well as CAS if needed." _He pointed towards three large duffel bags. "_Grab those bags behind you Riley, Ghost is gonna need the extra firepower down there today."_

Jones moved to inspect the additional cargo. "So Worm, uh… you mind if I take a look inside."

_"Go ahead and be my guest, just try not to blow up the ship."_ With that the hologram died, leaving Jones grinning in anticipation as he rubbed his hands together.

"Sweet! Let's see what kind of toys Ghost has!" Jones unzipped the bulkier bag of the three revealing several cylindrical … drums of silver with a yellow stripe on them. Shepard wandered over to take a look. "Uh… what do you make of these LT?"

"Probably drum magazines of ammunition, since Ghost likes to use chemical propellant for his weapons." She shrugged at the quizzical looks thrown her way.

"He uses gunpowder weapons? Why use something so… primitive? Couldn't he do better with mass accelerators?" Riley inquired.

"Beats me, can't say it doesn't work though. He had a pretty impressive body count on Elysium… How many drums do you see?"

Jones paused to count. "Hmm, I see five of them." He zipped the duffel back up and turned to the second bag and pulled out a gun case and unclasped it. "Looks like the weapon that shoots these things and – umph – it's kind of heavy." He set the gun back down in the duffel with its case.

Riley took the opportunity to look at the last duffel and found another weapon case, along with several power cells. She removed the weapon from the case with a grunt of effort. "Ugh, what the hell is this thing? This thing feels too damn heavy for an infantry weapon."

Amelia shrugged, "Guess we'll just have to see what it does when we link up with Ghost." Riley shrugged and replaced the weapon back in its casing.

The next thirty minutes were spent in silent, solemn preparations for the battle ahead, which was only interrupted when the intercom came to life in the loading bay. _"Attention N7s, first drop zone in ten minutes, get ready for a quick touch and go."_

Riley turned to the Alliance soldiers around her, "All right N7s, time to lock and load! We've got pirates to kill."

"Now all we need is the ghost ship of Davy Jones and we're all set. Oh wait, we're on the damn thing." Jones mumbled under his breath.

* * *

_Torfan_

_Christopher "Mac" Zheng_

_Ghost_

_23 November 2177 – 0530 – 30 minutes until Invasion of Torfan_

* * *

The faint dust of Torfan's surface swirled around my boots as I crouched near the rendezvous point, invisible to all as my armor blended into the background. I gather up a fistful of the fine earth and let it sift through my fingers. _It's times like this that make all the fighting worth it. No bullets, no dying, just some peace and quiet as I watch the world move. *sigh*_ I crush the rest of the dirt in my palm and grimace. _I don't know if I can keep fighting and staying in the shadows for five more goddamn years._ I dump the rest of it on the ground. _And it's only going to get worse._

The sound of footsteps behind me interrupts my inner monologue and I quickly turn towards the source of the noise as I draw my sidearm. I quickly holster the weapon after seeing who it is.

"So, we're here at the rendezvous point, and I'm tired of carrying his weapons for him. Anyone see his ghosty butt anywhere?"

"No I don't Jones, so quit your complaining and watch for pirates. I don't like being out in the open."

"Got it LC, but he could at least have the decency to be at the RV waiting for us."

I chose that moment to deactivate the camouflage suite. "Who says I 'm not?"

The three alliance soldiers jump and surprise and instinctually reach for their weapons. They stop once they realize who I am. "Son of a bitch, do you always do that?"

I ignore him and indicate to the duffel bags they are carrying. "Can I get my gear?"

They relinquish their extra cargo and I inspect each one. I remove the SAW from its casing and leave it on the ground. The next duffel holds the ammunition for the weapon and I remove one magazine and attach it, leaving it ready to fire as I cycle the bolt. I turn to the last duffel and remove the Spartan Laser and adjust the power settings to minimize damage output. _Not gonna see any heavy armor, so no need to overdo it. Should give me about twenty shots with this power cell._ I finish adjusting the weapon's power output and attach it to my upper back via the magnetic clamps. I then remove two drum magazines and attach them to my left hip and remove the rest from the duffel and attach them to my lower back. I heft the automatic weapon ready to assault the pirate base.

"Alright, let's move." The three stare at me for awhile before snapping out of it and continue to move on.

After a few steps the Lieutenant Commander speaks up, "So… Ghost, is that stuff not heavy for you? Cause that's about 70 kilos."

I dignify her question with a single word as I turn towards her, "No."

"Oh, well, alright then." The LC looked slightly put off by my terse response. _Doesn't matter to me._

Jones moves up next to me trying to start up a conversation. "So Ghost, name's Staff Sergeant Jones, and the two lovely ladies with me are Lieutenant Commander Riley and 2nd Lieutenant Shepard." He extends his hand towards me.

"Noted." I ignore it and switch my Promethean vision on as we are less than 100 meters from the base. _Everything looks nice and quiet._ I hold up my left fist and come to a crouch, and the others stop next to me. I open up a comm channel to the _Shadow of Hope._

"Worm, how long until the fleet arrives in system?"

_"You've got around ten minutes, so sit tight for a little while and socialize with the Alliance blues for me."_

"I'm not here to make friends Worm."

_"I'm not asking you to, but you're going to be working with Shepard in the near future, so it wouldn't hurt to make a good first impression now, would it?"_

I grunt in response. "Fine, I see your point."

_"Have fun, I'll keep you posted from up here."_

The comm clicks off and a timer of 10 minutes start ticking down in the upper left corner of my HUD. I check my weapon as I cycle the bolt and check if a round is chambered. As I am doing this, Shepard walks up to me and draws out her Valiant and inspects her weapon as well. A few moments of silence pass by until she speaks up. "So, Ghost, what are we looking at, once we get in the base?"

"Tight corners and hallways, lots of bottlenecks for ambushes, and I wouldn't put it past them to use IEDs in the base. Why? Got something on your mind?"

She shrugged, "Not really, just getting the lay of the land is all." She paused for a second. "You don't seem very talkative, any reason for your outstanding bedside manner just now?"

"They asked a question, I answered. What else is there to say?"

"Could be a little more friendly, we are your team for this op after all."

"I'm not here to make friends Shepard, I'm here to kill. You three are just here to watch my back."

She smirked at the remark, "How do you know it won't be you watching my back down there? All the rumors say you like to stick to the shadows. Sounds to me your frontline combat skills might be a bit lacking."

I turn to her incredulous, "You saying I can't hold my own in a fight?"

"Never said that, just that you might not be as good as you think you are."

"Hmm, well, it'd be good to see that the Lioness of Elysium isn't all just hype."

"Oh, you'll see that I'm more than a handful in a fight Ghost."

The timer reaches zero and the base's activity begins to pick up and ships' engines in orbit begin to activate. I heft my weapon and turn to her, "Just try to keep up if you can."

I begin running towards the complex for the main blast doors of the underground bunker system. A few guards in the watchtowers notice me in the distance. As they turn to level their weapons on the unknown bogey speeding towards them, I click on my comms to open up a channel to the ship. "Alright Worm, hit it."

The base before me erupts in a sea of flame, engulfing the former pristine watchtowers and gun emplacements and turning them into twisted wreckages of metal, melted ceramics and carbonized skeletons. I look into the sky and see many ships explode as their drive cores go critical, while other just lie dormant in orbit, slowly descending into the moon's gravity well. _50 ships, about half their fleet. Hope the Alliance can handle a few outdated frigates._ Several rounds come in from both sides and impact on my kinetic barriers to stop the incoming fire. I turn to the left and activate my thruster pack as I leap upwards mid-run and strafe to the left quickly, mid-air, spraying tungsten core rounds at the pirate in front of me, and quickly overload his barriers as I riddle his torso with bullets. I turn to shift my aim at the pirate to my right, when a loud crack filled the air as well as a fine pink mist exiting the pirates skull that was in my sights. I turn towards the source of the rifle shot and see Shepard quickly jogging her way towards me, rifle at the ready and a smirk on her face.

"How's that for keeping up?"

I nod in satisfaction, "Not bad, but tell your teammates to hurry up, our window of surprise is closing."

The rest of the 50 meter trek to the bunker entrance is relatively peaceful, as the Alliance Sniper teams make short work of any stragglers from the demolitions I administered earlier. I stop in front of the door and apply shaped explosive charges on the door and wait for the two other N7 operatives at the door.

"Jesus you two are fast. That enough to kick down the door?" Jones indicates towards the kicker charge I have on the blast doors.

"Yeah it's enough. Same stuff I used to take down their ships in orbit." I level my weapon at the door, ready to move. "You three ready?" They all nod in response.

"Good. Fire in the Hole!" The focused blast caves in the metal doors leaving a gaping hole of twisted and warped metal where the blast doors used to be. I channel the power from my camouflage suite to my Promethean vision module and look through the wall for hostiles. "Move up, entry's clear." The four of us flow through the opening with me in the lead and weapon leveled at the other end of the hallway at the closed metal door. I see 15 bodies moving in the room confused at what is going on. As we reach the doorway, I pull out a detonator and radio the ship. "Worm, tell the Alliance teams at the other entrances that the power is about to go out."

_"Roger that, I'll tell the Alliance that it's about to be lights out for the pirates. I'll make sure they have their night lights ready by the time you press the button." _The comm dies shortly after Worm finishes.

"Turn on your flash lights, the base's power is about to go out." The three press buttons on the front of their weapons, leaving faint cones of let projecting past their weapon barrels. I wait a few seconds and press the button on the detonator, resulting in a series of dull thumps echoing throughout the metal floor. Soon after, the base's power systems cut out leaving the hallway in total darkness. "I'll get the door, so be ready."

As I square myself on the heavy metal door, readying to kick it in. I then twist to my left side as I raise my right knee to my chest, coiled like a spring. Riley speaks up from beside the door frame. "What are you-" She doesn't get to finish as my right boot strikes out against the metal door caving it in as it is blown into the waiting room, much to astonishment of its occupants and the Alliance team. Before the pirates can recover, I level my weapon and pull the trigger. Many of them are in plainclothes or don't have their kinetic barriers online, allowing me to finish off the majority with quick short bursts of rapid fire into their bodies. Before long, the room is covered in the mixed colors of various species' blood. The spent magazine hits the floor, followed by the reassuring clack of a round being chambered from a new drum. _In a way, it almost looks beautiful. _

Riley walks up to me, staring with what could only be described as fear and awe at me. "How did you- that door must have weighed almost 500 pounds."

Shepard added in her thoughts as well, "That was pretty impressive."

"Impressive!? The guy just kicked in a metal door! "

I cough to regain their attention, which works. "We can talk about what just happened later. Right now, we've got a mission, so follow me."

I move towards the open doorway on the far side of the room and scan the hallway beyond for anything on my HUD. Shepard follows up closely behind and to my right, her rifle at the ready. "See anything?"

"We've got five hostiles coming in from the right corner down the hallway, which we need to go through, so it's going to be a direct engagement."

She pointed her weapon and flashlight down the dark hallway. "Not a lot of cover down here, should we wait here and set up a killzone?"

I think it over for a second and decide on something else. "Not enough time. They'll have their backup power systems online soon enough. I'll be up front and you can use me as cover while we move up."

"You sure? That's a lot of bullets to soak up you know."

"Don't worry, I've got something just right for the job." I activate the hardlight shield on my left forearm and hold it up in front of me, casting the hallway in a faint, eerie blue glow. I set the muzzle of my weapon in a slot near my left hand and crouch down as I make my way foreward. I feel the slight weight of an arm and a rifle on my right shoulder.

I see five red silhouettes make their way towards the corner, as we make our way towards the end of the hallway and prepare myself for the fight ahead. "Shepard, enemies coming in, one o'clock."

As the first two pirates come in from around the corner, a hail of bullets meet them and their teammates, as they unwittingly come into my and Shepard's field of fire. Dozens of rounds plink off the hardlight shield in front of me, but quickly die down as the pirates fall one by one. I deactivate my shield and replace the magazine on the SAW and chamber a round. "All clear. Riley and Jones, move up." The two N7s move up watching our six as we round the corner to another hallway. As we proceeded forward, the facility's map indicated we were nearing a large atrium that would lead directly to the control room. Unfortunately, I saw around forty bodies in the room, all of them set up in defensible positions. _Damn it, they've got a killzone set up in there._

I hold up my right fist and stop near the doorway's frame and speak to the rest of the team. "Area beyond is open and little cover."

"How bad of an ambush is it you think?" Riley asked.

"Bad, they've got five heavy MG emplacements in there and 40 bodies total to fight with."

Jones looked confused, "How can you see that with a wall between us and the room?"

I decide to hide the truth a bit, "I planted motion sensors and thermal scanners throughout the base, and my ship has a direct feed going to me and the Alliance ships in orbit." As I explain, the facility's power comes back on, making the situation in the room beyond much more difficult.

"Alright, we know they're in there and they know we're coming for them. Thoughts?"

I attach my SAW onto the remaining magnetic clamp on my back and speak. "I'll sneak in and create a distraction, then you go in. Wait for my signal."

"How are you going to-" My camouflage suite kicks in just as Jones begins to ask. "Right, invisible ghost shit, forgot about that."

Shepard ignores Jones and asks me, "What exactly is your signal?"

I pause in the middle of the open doorway, "Just listen for the screaming," and proceed onward towards the room. I am then greeted with the sight of hastily made barricades made of overturned tables and stacked cargo crates around the room. The upper balcony is a wide horseshoe situated towards the rear of the room, away from most of the barricades with five heavy gun emplacements pointed towards the door I just exited. I silently position myself underneath the railing near the closest gun and grab carefully as I leap towards it. I quickly clamber over onto the balcony, leaving the pirates in the room none the wiser. I creep up towards the closest heavy gun and position myself to kill the batarian in front of me. I quickly strike forward as my right arm blade activates and inserts itself through the alien's skull. I deactivate the blade of plasma and position the body carefully in the seat, to avoid suspicion. I then plant an explosive charge and set it to remote detonation.

I repeat the action three times over the next five minutes until I reach the last gun, where I pull my sidearm and fire twice into the turian's skull. Before they can react to the sound of the chamber cycling in my pistol, I activate the detonators on the four guns, disabling them as well as distracting the fighters down below. While they stood dumbstruck trying to figure what just happened, I detach to pulse grenades from my belt and throw them at two groupings of four enemies, quickly vaporizing their victims as they detonated, much to the horror of the now 27 fighters down below. I quickly push the dead turian out of the last heavy gun and settle into the now vacant seat. I aim the twin barrels at the nearest cluster of enemies and depress the trigger mechanism on the weapon. Surprised screams fill the air as rounds tear through the exposed backs of the pirates down below. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot three figures rushing through the door I had entered, but I quickly retrain my focus on the dwindling numbers of raiders down below. Between my surprise attack and the swift fire from the three Alliance marines, the enemy is quickly routed, leaving nothing but bleeding corpses on the floor below. I slap on a demo charge on the gun emplacement and detonate it as I leap down towards the three down below and pull out my SAW.

Shepard whistled, as I walked towards them and deactivated my camo. "Nice," she nudged a corpse with her foot, "so where to next?"

Before I can reply, I notice movement out the corner of my eye and turn quickly towards it, ready to fire. I quickly lower my weapon at the sight of a young asari girl in rags shambling towards us with fear in her eyes. I set down my weapon and the ground and hold up my hands non-threateningly. Before I can speak, Jones is making his way over towards the little girl as he collapsed his weapon and set it down next to him as he knelt before her.

He began to speak softly, "Hey little one, what are you doing in a dangerous place like this? Come on let's get you out of here." He reached out a hand towards the pale blue girl.

She spoke with a trembling voice and shook her head. "Master said to not trust the people in blue and black, or the animal would get hit again. She doesn't want to feel the pain again."

"Nobody is going to hurt you anymore little one, it's alright. Everything is going to be just fine now."

"Master gave the animal something to put it to sleep. She woke up with a pain in her tummy. Her tummy is in pain right now. Master promised the pain would go away soon, but Master left towards the room with blinking lights. Now the pain will never go away." The little girl started to cry and clutch her abdomen. Jones reached out to hug the little girl and comfort her, which she reluctantly accepted.

A pang of sadness overcame me as the comm crackled to life, "_Mac, this is Worm, we've got multiple reports from various Alliance teams of child slaves coming out of hiding."_

"Yeah, we've got one here too, is there a safe zone, where we can keep them until the mission is done?"

_"Not right now, there are still reports of hostile movement coming from the survivors of the crashed ships from orbit, so the surface is a no go."_

"What about the facility, anything there?"

_"Honestly just keeping them where they are would be best, as almost all of them are reporting abdominal pains. Might be the bad food they served the slaves here, eh?"_

I stop for a minute, taking in the new piece of information. _Something isn't right here. _"Worm… did you just say that **all** of the kids have stomach pain? There are multiple species around here, how can they have such widespread food poisoning?"

There was a short pause on the line, "_Honestly, I have no idea, there may have been some contamination in the processing facility the food came from, but then either the levo or dextro kids would have gone into anaphylactic shock from the allergic reaction. Honestly, I'm stumped, unless they were… Oh God."_

I grow concerned at the last part of Worm's transmission, "What!? What's wrong Worm?"

_"Mac, you need to dump that kid ASAP! Right now damnit!"_

Realization dawns on me as I recall a similar instance before my death in Mosul, and I quickly turn to Jones. "JONES! GET AWAY FROM THE KID NOW!"

Jones looks at me confused and puts down the kid and stands up, "Why? Can't you see the kid needs help, she's crying about a tummy ache for God's sakes!"

Before I could move to forcibly separate the two, an explosion of blue erupts from Jones's position. At first I thought it was an explosion from a plasma grenade, but then I notice that purple residue was clinging to various parts of the room. A quick scan of the room reveals, Jones at a spot several feet away from his original position. My momentary relief at spotting the mouthy marine is replaced with despair as I see his legs separated from his body just above the knee and the rest of his body a mess of shattered ceramic, flesh and shrapnel. A look of shock and utter confusion clouds his features. Riley rushes over to his side as she throws off her helmet, sliding the last couple of feet on her armored knees to reach him. She grabs his hand in abject hysteria.

"Zach, ZACH! Come on hang in there!"

"*cough*-Come on Lee, we're in public,*cough*they'll get us for fraternization."

"I don't care damnit! Ju-just save your strength, we'll get you out of here and the docs will patch you right up."

"F-*cough*forget about me, we both know I won't last long enough to make it to *cough* surgery. How about the girl? Is she ok?"

As Riley shakes her head and continues to talk to her dying lover, I snap out of my déjà vu and contact the _Shadow of Hope. _"Worm, give me a sitrep, NOW!"

_"Mac, we-we've got a lot of dead bodies down there and a lot more bleeding out. Mac, I don't think they're gonna make it to triage let alone to one of the ships."_

"NUMBERS WORM! I want NUMBERS!"

_"Scans show 52 KIA and 30 wounded counting your squad. They're not going to last long Chris. I'm sorry."_

"Fifty two dead… Max, how is the space battle looking up there?"

_"The rest of the pirate fleet has been destroyed, but why do you need to know-"_

"Disengage stealth systems and divert **all** power to the translocation platform and sensors and send all of our stasis pods to the wounded down here!"

_"Chris… are you sure about this? I don't think we'll be able to explain what you're suggesting to the Alliance."_

"I'll deal with it later! Save them first, please brother."

_"Alright fine. You know this means we'll have to lay low for awhile right?"_

"Yes, I do. It's worth it."

_"For what it's worth brother, I think so too.*sigh* Alright, pods on the way, I've sent instructions to the Alliance teams as well." _The comms quickly cuts out. After a few tense moments a bright golden light fills the room and quickly dies down, leaving a forerunner slipspace pod floating in the air.

"Uh… Ghost, what is that?"

"No time to explain Shepard, help me push it over to Jones." The two of us easily cart the pod over to the wounded man, and I kneel down to the two marines and speak to Riley. "Riley, I need to put Jones in the stasis pod so that he has a shot at making it out of this. I'm going to need you to stay back and guard it while Shepard and I continue towards the objective." She nods silently and relinquishes her grip on Jones's hand and moved to retrieve her fallen helmet, all the while keeping her gaze on her mortally wounded boyfriend.

Jones flashed a bloody smile to me as I grabbed his waist to place him in the now open pod. "Hey Ghost, you're alright in my book. I owe you a drink if we all make it out of here."

"You've got it leatherneck. Now rest easy, you'll be in the hospital with beautiful nurses all around you soon enough."

"Hah! *cough* don't think Lee would like that too much, but I won't complain." As I set him down in the pod, the base's intercom crackled to life projecting a gruff batarian voice all throughout the complex.

_"Alliance dogs, I hope you enjoyed my little present. It's only fair after you invaded my home, kill most of my men, and destroyed My FLEET! But I don't hold a grudge, so I'll let you leave peacefully. My command center is heavily defended with turrets and the Hegemony's best slavers, so come at your own peril. You've been warned humans, now LEAVE OR DIE!"_

_You're so dead fucker._

* * *

_2__nd__ Lieutenant Amelia Patricia Shepard_

* * *

Amelia walked up to Ghost, readying her rifle for the difficult fight up ahead. As she came closer to him, she noticed his left hand clenched in fist and his helmet looking down towards the ground. _He looks pissed._ She placed a gloved hand on Ghost's shoulder, and spoke. "Ghost, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he marched towards the doorway underneath the balcony. "Now let's go, we've got a mission to complete." As they walked down the hallway towards the heavily fortified antechamber and the base's command center, she couldn't help but notice a lack of enemies on their path. _This is going to suck, so much. _ She steeled herself for the upcoming firefight, but stopped abruptly as Ghost stopped in his tracks and held up his left hand. "What? Something wrong?"

"No, just switching my weapon." He placed his SAW on his back and took out the heavy green… block thing off his back.

"Mind if I ask, what exactly that thing is or what it does?"

He turned towards her, "It shoots red lasers."

"Hahahaha, nice joke there, but seriously what does it do?"

"It shoots lasers."

"Oh, well… okay. If you say so."

"I'd also appreciate it if you didn't tell the Alliance what this weapon does, I'll have enough to explain with the stasis pods and my stealth ship." He glanced over his left shoulder towards her.

"Yeah, yeah I've got it. Lips are sealed."

"Good, now let's move, I've got pirates to kill, and I'm going to enjoy every second of it."

Amelia shuddered and became slightly apprehensive at the coming battle. _He seemed really distraught by what happened earlier. _She sighed internally. _Can't really blame him though, I almost feel the same way after seeing Riley and Jones together. Speaking of which, how come I didn't notice they were together?! _The pair came up to the set of double doors leading into the killzone. They stood on opposite doorframes, ready to enter the room. "So… gameplan?"

"There's cover ten meters past the doorway to the left, and about twenty meters past that is a ladder to a catwalk 40 meters above the room, perfect for sniping. I'll draw their attention with the laser, so that you can get a good vantage point."

"Need biotic support as well?"

"The occasional warp would be nice, yeah."

Ghost then faded from view and presumably snuck into the room beyond, as the door opened slightly after he had disappeared. She waited patiently as the seconds then minutes ticked by, until she heard a series of soft clicks that weren't there before. It wasn't until she heard the loud boom and screaming inside that she knew it was time to enter the room. As she moved to enter the killzone, she heard another boom followed by more screams. Instead of turning to look, she moved quickly to the ladder and climbed up onto the catwalk high above. Amelia spotted two turians on the catwalk with her, so she sent a biotic push to send them over the edge to the ground 40 meters below to their deaths. She set the barrel of her Valiant on the railing and sighted down on the head of a batarian at a gun emplacement and turned his head into a shower of grey matter and pink mist. She then let loose a warp towards an automated turret to weaken its armor. As the turret's components degraded in its constant shifting mass, Shepard threw a dampening grenade onto a mixed fireteam of turians and batarians, effectively overheating their weapons and bringing down their barriers. She timed the next five shots from her rifle carefully to avoid overheating. As she looked up from her scope to scan for more targets, she noticed a lance of red light hit a group of batarians out of the corner of her eye. Shepard turned towards the blast site and surveyed the carnage before her. She was greeted with the site of twisted bodies of melted ceramic and flash boiled flesh, still steaming from the intense thermal energy thrown at them. _Damn._

The fighting quickly died down as the slavers and pirates were quickly demoralized at the staggering losses suffered by the red laser. As the last pirate fell to Amelia's sniper fire, she moved down the catwalk to the other ladder and lowered herself to the floor below where Ghost was waiting.

"So what now?"

"We kill the base commander and his team." He turned towards one of the doors to the left and hefted his laser weapon. "It's just down this hallway."

"How many shots you got with that weapon anyways?"

"Enough to blast down the door to the command center." They rounded the corner of the hallway and came upon a set of heavily reinforced steel doors. Ghost aimed at the obstacle. "Shield your eyes, it's going to get bright." A thin beam of red light emanated from the weapon as the steadily increasing whine and clicks of the weapon filled Shepard's ears. In an instant a powerful beam of red light sprang forth from the weapon and slagged the steel doors and blew them inwards and anything unfortunate enough to be directly behind it was immediately terminated with extreme prejudice. Ghost replaced his weapon on his back and pulled out his two SMGs. "Let's go kill this son of a bitch."

Amelia pulled out her sidearm for the inevitable CQC in the next room. As she followed Ghost into the room, she saw a path of destruction from the red beam go deep into the room, consisting of several dead bodies and melted electronics twisted together by the swirling thermal energy of the laser. She scanned the room for movement and found none other than the smoke emanating from the command consoles in the center of the room. _Did they really think nobody would make it to this room? Not a single one of them was flanking the doorway. _She shook her head in disbelief at the sheer overconfidence and incompetence displayed by the former occupants in the room.

She proceeded further into the room, when she noticed that Ghost had pulled a cowering batarian in well-made armor from underneath a wooden desk at the far end of the room. The coward began begging for his life.

"Please, I-I can pay you anything you want! You'll have more many than you ever will in the Allia-urk."

The man would never finish his offering when Ghost rammed a blade of bright blue plasma into his abdomen, effectively silencing the base commander once and for all. "That was for those kids, you for eyed son of a bitch." Ghost lowered his weapons to the floor and deactivated his blade. His helmeted head was lowered looking down at the floor in obvious sorrow.

Shepard cautiously walked up to him, concern clouding her mind. "Hey, Ghost, you alright?"

He snapped out of it and reattached his two weapons to his thigh plates and retrieved his LMG. "Yeah I'm fine, now let's help with mopping up the base. I'm not done today, not by a long shot."

* * *

_2 hours later_

* * *

Before her were sixty-three bulging black tarps on the dusty moon. Other than the surprise attack from the child bombs, the Alliance had suffered very few casualties in the assault on Torfan. She turned to her right and spotted the man responsible for limiting the casualties today. _If it wasn't for him, we'd be filling a lot more body bags._ He walked purposefully away from where he stood clutching his large LMG. Amelia growing more concerned followed after the man she thought of and admired as her hero.

The fight after the command center had been neutralized and its commander assassinated was fairly easy, as most of the pirates, without organized leadership, were unable to form an adequate, organized counterattack. Many died trying to fight back, but a good amount surrendered, hoping to be saved from the onslaught brought on by Ghost. Many of the survivors were calling him Torfan's Wrath, which she was inclined to agree with after the atrocity committed using those helpless children as a surprise attack on the invasion force. As she followed after him, she noticed that Ghost was heading towards the area holding the prisoners.

The bare heads of many asari, turians, batarians and even humans turned towards the dark figure as he made his way towards them, weapon held before him. As he leveled his weapon at the group of prisoners, shock and fear overcame their features, but were unable to move away from their doom, because of their restraints. As Ghost's finger tightened on the trigger, Amelia sent a biotic pull on the weapon, tearing it from his grasp. He stood there, slightly confused at what just occurred, when he rounded on her tense from outrage and indignation.

"**What** are you doing!"

"Stopping you! What do you think **you **are doing!"

"Setting things right! Why should they live when good men died because of them? When innocent children never got to reach adulthood thanks to their cowardice!"

"Because you're better than they are! They kill and enslave for money! You save people! You give people hope!"

Ghost looked at the ground, shoulders slightly slumped forward. "I'm a killer Shepard, nothing more, nothing less. I'm not the hero you and others think I am."

"Well you are to me, so please, don't do this and stoop to their level. If not for yourself, then for all the people you've saved now and before. Do it for me. Don't betray our trust by doing this." She walked up to him and placed a consoling hand on his shoulder. He relaxed slightly and turned away, removing her hand as he did so.

"I can never be the hero you want me to be Shepard. I can't inspire others to fight, to persevere when it's hopeless. I'm only good from the shadows where everything is dark and gruesome." He turned back towards her. "Where you are Shepard, the place of light and good, is something I can't be a part of. _You _can inspire others, _you_ can do what I can't."

"What is that?"

He paused and answered her question, "Make them hope." He turned away and headed off to a cloud of dust that appeared as a ship dissolved into view. As he moved up the ramp into his ship, he paused and turned to glance over his shoulder towards her. "Take care of yourself Shepard, and when you need me, I'll be there." With that he disappeared into his ship as it lifted off and blended into the surrounding environment, leaving Amelia pondering over Ghost's last words.

She then noticed the discarded SAW on the ground where she had biotically pulled it. She went over to pick it up and thought to herself, _Huh, guess he forgot his gun._

* * *

_Arcturus Station_

_Vice Admiral Steven Hackett_

_Commander of Alliance Fifth Fleet_

_27 November 2177 – 2100_

* * *

Hackett stared out the of the fortified glass window of his office at the bustling traffic going in and out of Arcturus. His hands were pressed behind his back waiting for the other occupant in the room to begin speaking. The sound of a heavy helmet being laid on his wooden desk along with the softly thundering footsteps behind him reached his ears. He was soon accompanied by a man of Asian descent with distinct white facial markings.

"Admiral, I appreciate the Alliance's understanding in my wish to stay independent, as well as keeping the tech on my ship a secret."

"Son, it's the least we could do in light of what you did on Torfan. If you hadn't laid the groundwork, we would have lost more than sixty three men down on that moon."

"How many of the wounded made it through surgery Admiral?"

"Of the thirty you evacuated?" Hackett paused recalling the numbers and names. "I'm sorry son, but only half of them made it." A look of regret passed over the younger man's features. "But I'll say that those fifteen men wouldn't have made it if you hadn't pulled off that medevac on that moon."

"What's going to happen to them?"

"Some of them should make it back into full service. Some just need time to heal from their wounds and surgery, while others need to get used to their new prosthetic limbs. We take care of our own."

"Sir if I may, could I ask a favor from you and the Alliance?"

"Ghost, you've earned as many favors as I can grant you at this point. Between Elysium, Akuze and Torfan, I'd say you earned it."

"I'd like the dossiers and service records of the wounded I evacuated Admiral."

Hackett removed his right hand from his back and put it to his chin. "May I ask why you would need it?"

Ghost stood up straighter, "Sir, I realized on Torfan that I need a team and a damn good one. I'd like to ask for volunteers and hand pick five men to join me."

"You could ask for men that won't be in prosthetics, I wouldn't begrudge you of it. You'd have no shortage of volunteers within the Alliance with your reputation as it is."

"I appreciate your offer sir, but there is a reason I want to pick from the wounded. The fact that they are wounded means that either they were too close to escape the shrapnel bombs, or they were trying to help those children, and I need men that care for more than just following orders. I need men with a good conscience."

"Then why the dossiers?"

"I need to know if they have any attachments that would prevent them from being away for long periods of time, and if they can keep quiet on what they really are. They'll be shadows, and I don't want the team being compromised by someone else."

Hackett nodded, "I can respect that, but that doesn't explain how you're going to be getting a fighting force from men in prosthetics."

"I have resources that can clone the missing parts. I know that you have that sort of tech as well, but I have other procedures that need to be done in house, and I can do it much faster." He held up a hand. "I'll be giving the Alliance the cloning tech and medical procedures to help in the future, so I won't be hoarding it."

"I appreciate it Ghost."

"There is one other thing Admiral."

"Yes?"

"Of the volunteers I'd like to request one more that wasn't wounded in the fighting, she was on my squad for the mission."

Hackett frowned recalling the team members mentioned, "It's not Shepard is it, because she isn't on the table."

Ghost held up both of his hands. "No sir, I know she is the Alliance's rising star, and frankly she can do more good at the forefront than in the shadows where I'll be working. It's Lieutenant Commander Riley. I know her and Sergeant Jones are a couple and I want Jones on my team. I'd rather not have the two be split up because of my request."

Hackett relaxed and nodded, "If they say yes, you can have them. But I am a bit resentful you'll be taking away six of some of the Alliance's best."

Ghost grinned, "I'm sure you are sir, but you'll get a return on your investment later on."

"Speaking of which, what are your plans?"

"After I gather my new team, I'll be laying low for awhile and train them to what I need. Torfan is likely to put me on the radars of a lot of players in the intel business and I want to disappear for a bit."

"How do we contact you if we need you?"

Ghost walked away from the window and retrieved his helmet. After the seal locked in place, he turned towards Hackett. "I'll be there when you need me." With that last word, he dissolved into the background.

Hackett muttered to himself, "I hate it when he does that."

* * *

_A/N_

_So updates are still sporadic and this one was really lengthy. I'd have had it out sooner, but I was busy trying to play the multiplayer on MCC but as some of you may have heard it wasn't working that well. Ah well, all you can do is wait I guess, I'm just happy they're making an effort to fix it, cause Halo is my favorite franchise after Mass Effect. _

_The flow to this chapter seems a little awkward to me, mostly because there was so much to do and not a lot of frame of reference as to how large Torfan is or its architecture so I left the majority of it to your imagination. Also I was being a bit lazy trying to play Halo 2 Anniversary, but hey you got 8k words this time, so yeah. Some of the sequences were a little hard to write, particularly the child bomb scene. IEDs are not fun to describe._

_Also the thing between Riley and Jones thing wasn't hinted at before, because the fraternization between enlisted and officer is frowned upon in the military, but most special operations units kind of have a blurring of lines between them, so a relationship wouldn't be out of the question. _

_Also, I wanted a team on the Shadow of Hope so that Mac can focus on being with Shepard on the Normandy, and they will be completely loyal, as I don't feel like adding betrayal drama convoluting the plot of my story. They will be doing missions that tie into helping Shepard stop the Reapers._

_Thoughts on the chapter? I tried to keep it within the realm of realism and limit the Deus Ex effect of Mac saving the wounded. He might be a strong fighter, but people still die despite his best efforts, so it conflicts him that despite all his power and technology, he can't save everyone and if he reveals himself too early, the Reapers and Cerberus might become even more dangerous if they get their hands on his tech or know what he is capable of. His bottled up emotions came to a head on Torfan when he almost pulled a Lieutenant Speirs from Band of Brothers._

_All in all, not my best work in my opinion, but this is my first fanfic, so bear with me._


	7. Welcome Aboard, Shadow Team

Chapter 6 – Welcome Aboard, Shadow Team

* * *

_Serpent Nebula, Citadel, Council Briefing Chamber_

_Councilor Tevos_

_Councilor to the Asari Republics_

_24 May 2178 – 0800 – 6 months post-Torfan_

* * *

"-and the Terminus systems appear to have decreased their activity in Council space after the Alliance operation on the moon of Torfan." The Salarian, Councilor Valern, relayed the report given to him by the Salarian Intelligence and Espionage organization, the STG. "The projected force strength at the slaver base should have resulted in more casualties to the Alliance, but interestingly the mission reports stated several ships destroyed in orbit, leaving the older and less capable vessels to fend off the Alliance, which was evidently unsuccessful. Additionally, the photos and LADAR scans from the ships in orbit show that almost all of the above ground portions were demolished."

The Turian, Councilor Sparatus, interjected. "Yes, yes, the Alliance sent in a vanguard infiltration team to the moon. It's their standard operating procedure for operations like this, so why is their handiwork in the report?"

"The lack of evidence of protracted fighting and large scale sabotage leads me to believe that either a large force of saboteurs went in undetected before the invasion and crippled the base, or a small team of highly skilled operatives infiltrated the facility well beforehand and slowly set up for an invasion force over the course of a few weeks to a month."

Sparatus spoke up, "The first would be next to impossible to carry out, so many operatives in one facility would be noticed if kept there too long and it would be difficult to successfully carry out such a large scale operation in a short time frame."

"So the Alliance has formed a highly skilled team of soldiers for this operation then."

Valern added in another piece of information. "There have been rumors of an outsider helping the Alliance on this mission. Names like the Ghost of Elysium, the Angel of Akuze and recently the Wrath of Torfan have shown up on data logs from our listening outposts in Alliance and Terminus systems."

Tevos chose this moment to intervene, "Surely you can't be suggesting these rumors are real?"

"I am also inclined to disbelieve these baseless rumors."

"Believe what you will you two, but I am merely stating facts. Whether the two are related remains to be seen, but we must keep ourselves open to the idea of such an effective _human_ agent."

"How do we know if these aliases are of the same person?"

"They all share the same physical description. Also the brutality displayed towards his enemies at Elysium and Torfan share one singular trait. Wounds from chemically propelled tungsten bullets, rather than the rounds fired from mass accelerators."

"Such barbaric and primitive weaponry, I doubt their effectiveness in a fight."

"The autopsy reports don't lie Councilor. While the majority of bodies recovered from Elysium and Torfan died of wounds suffered by regular mass accelerators, a significant number contained tungsten slugs coated with the residue of chemical propellant."

"Regardless of his methods, it is evident that this man is highly effective and efficient. He is as good as some of our SpecTRes if the rumors are to be believed."

"The human is an unknown, and until we know more about this human's motivations, he is a potential danger to the Citadel."

"Sparatus, one of these days you must learn that not all humans are as violent and brash as you make them to be."

"That remains to be seen Tevos."

She sighed and turned to Valern, "What else has the STG uncovered about the man?"

"Other than his preferred alias of 'Ghost?'" He threw his datapad onto the table and crossed his arms, a look of disgust crossing his features. "Nothing! He calls himself Ghost with good reason. Not even the Shadow Broker has provided any offers of information on him to the dalatrasses. The only sightings we get of him are from Elysium and Torfan, but nothing else from the year in between both operations."

"All the more reason to believe it is nothing more than Alliance propaganda to keep slavers out of their systems."

"Whether this Ghost is real or not is irrelevant, as his activities have remained in Alliance territory. Until we hear of activity in Citadel Space or significant incursions into the Terminus, his existence is a low priority to us."

Sparatus nodded, "Besides how much could one human do?"

* * *

_Horsehead Nebula, Anadius System – Cronos Station, Cerberus HQ_

_Jack "The Illusive Man" Harper_

_Head of Paramilitary Rogue Alliance Intelligence Organization - Cerberus_

_21 October 2178 - 1100_

* * *

A brief exhalation released a cloud of smoke into the spacious room. The soft clinking of ice against the walls of the glass of bourbon soon followed. Today Jack Harper was not a happy man, and the source of that dissatisfaction lay in the holographic projection of the woman before him.

"Operative Rasa, I hope this report is not as disappointing as your several previous ones."

The Cerberus agent looked sullen and worn down from the weight of her previous failures. "_I apologize, sir, but there hasn't been any sight of him since the Torfan invasion. It's almost as if he's disappeared from civilization. All we have are rumors of sightings, but there have been no bodies with his usual MO on them, and any surveillance footage near the areas we investigated show similar armor, but did not cloak nor accurately fit the photo in his profile."_

He took in a puff of smoke as well as the information. _Man's alias is certainly fitting. _"Hmm, not what I was hoping for in your report, but not unexpected." He paused as he took another sip from his bourbon glass. "I'm pulling you and our assets from this investigation. Cerberus has spent enough resources trying to find this man, and quite frankly I am tired of our failure to procure him or his advanced stealth technology."

_"But sir I-"_

Harper held up his hand. "Don't worry Rasa, I don't blame you for not being able to find him. It is evident the man is exceedingly gifted at eluding the galaxy. Whether it is us, the Shadow Broker or the Salarian STG. We will simply wait until he reappears onto the galactic stage." He typed a few commands into to his arm console. "In the meantime, I have another assignment for you. I expect nothing but success from your future operations, despite this more recent failure."

The holographic projection nodded and winked out of existence. He drew a long breath from his cigarette, exhaling a long stream of smoke after holding it in. He pressed a button on the intercom system, "Patch me into Operative Lawson, I want a report on her recruiting efforts."

An attractive image of a Caucasian woman with shoulder length brown hair sprang forth from the projector. An Australian accent laced with confidence came out of the rooms speaker systems. _"You wanted to see me sir."_

"Operative Lawson, I would like a status update on your efforts to recruit the wounded marines from the Alliance invasion of Torfan."

The usually composed facial expression on her face was, almost imperceptibly, disturbed. _"None of the fifteen N7 operatives took up my offer or accepted my advances. I was able to recruit some of the rank and file members that supported the initial push, however."_

Harper was silent, surprised by Miranda's unexpected… failure to bring more skilled operatives into the fold. _We'll need more skilled field operatives than Kai Leng going forward, if Cerberus is to be successful._ "Care to explain how all fifteen refused your offer? I would expect that some of them would be disillusioned with the Alliance after the child bombings that wounded them."

_"The strange thing is, sir, that all of them were grateful towards the Alliance for saving as many of them as they could, despite the extensive wounds they suffered. I also believe that the replacement of their limbs with clone tissue instead of prosthetics also convinced them of the Alliance's loyalty to their soldiers."_

The Alliance's recent policy to replace wounded soldiers' lost limbs and damaged organs with cloned tissue instead of cybernetics and prosthetics was a surprise to him, one that had not been seen within the data. Even more confusing was the new flash cloning technology the Alliance had procured despite overt regulations on genetic experimentation. _Where did they get such advanced medical technology? Could it have something to do with Ghost? _

He took another long drag on his smoke before continuing. "Despite this unforeseen development you still managed to add more agents into the fold. Although not the best outcome, I am satisfied. You are dismissed."

As he moved to close the transmission, Lawson interjected, _"Sir, wait. There is something else that I believe you should know about the surviving Alliance IED casualties."_

Intrigued Harper removed his finger from the button and took a sip from the bourbon. "I'm listening."

_"Of the fifteen members we trying to recruit, five have gone to ground and disappeared from any of the Alliances systems and records shortly after we made our move. Sir, four of them were the priority candidates we were targeting for their lack of familial relations or any other ties besides the Alliance."_

"So someone else has given them a better deal or the Alliance needed operatives for their more deniable operations. I wouldn't be surprised at the latter, given their loyalty to the Alliance. But I also heard you mention a fifth disappearance."

_"Yes sir, the fifth member was a Staff Sergeant Jones and he has been in a relationship with a Lieutenant Commander Riley, both of which were N7 operatives."_

"So they disappeared and eloped after their relationship had been compromised. I know the Alliance's stance on fraternization, and frankly I am unsurprised by this development you provided."

Miranda nodded, _"That's what I believed at first too sir, but when I looked at who was in their squad, it said a 2__nd__ Lieutenant Shepard was in the file. Sir, she was the one operator Ghost requested by name to assist him on Torfan."_

Harper's eyes widened as realization dawned on him, "So Ghost has recruited them to join his team."

She nodded again, _"Sir, if I may speak my mind?" _Harper nodded, "_I believe we should bring her in for questioning as she may have valuable intel on Ghost and his operations. I already have a plan in place to-"_

Harper held up his hand, effectively cutting off her suggestion. "Shepard is off limits. She is the Alliance's rising star, and Humanity's best shot at having a SpecTRe and increasing our influence. The information we could glean on Ghost is negligible compared to the potential benefits Shepard could award Humanity in the future. Your request has been noted and denied." Miranda looked slightly taken aback by the harsh reprimand and nodded, but Harper was not yet finished. "However, I will take extra measures to monitor her activities in the future and watch for any contact with this Ghost. If that is indeed all you have for me, you are dismissed."

Shortly afterward, the hologram cut out, leaving the Illusive Man to ruminate over recent events. _What are you up to Ghost? And how can I bring you in?_

* * *

_Epsilon Eridani System – Location Redacted_

_Christopher "Mac" Zheng_

_Shadow Team Commander_

_16 March 2180 – 2000 _

* * *

I stared out at the automated medical facility down below, looking down at the six individuals being operated on before me. Worry crossed my mind despite the relative safety, the procedures down below still worried me. _The Chrysanthemum augs were only used on children, no telling how effective they will be on adults._ No matter how well they take to these augmentations they won't be as effective as the ones I have in my body. _They'll have to work as a team and be a family for what I'm asking them to do. _Thankfully the Librarian had provided surveillance logs from Onyx on the III's training logs. I pulled up the schematics for the new armor Worm had been designing. He called it MJOLINIR MKVIII. The armor was fairly impressive and he wondered why the Librarian hadn't given him this suit of armor in the first place.

_Regular MJOLINIR specs with a double protection of kinetic barriers and energy shields, built in Omnitool and hardlight mini-fabricator for modified tech armor in a non-stealth mission, hardlight maneuvering thrusters as well as a rechargeable active camo suite. _The camouflage didn't last as long as his own armor, but with what he would be doing on the Normandy and Shadow Team on their own missions, staying in the shadows was no longer possible or needed. _We need to build up our reputation when Eden Prime gets hit._

The armor systems were all uniform in their appearance and specifications. _Except for mine. Still looks like beefed up SPI armor._

I exited out of the schematics and pulled up the armory list. The Promethean hardlight-ion weapons were the best bet, especially against the organo-metallic Reaper husks. _And Cerberus. Going to have to tell Max to modify the weapons to have built in fail safes. Probably should have a hard link to the suit's power systems, I don't want the power cores falling into Cerberus or god forbid, the Reapers' hands._

Briefing the members on Shadow Team had been difficult to say the least. There were some things I couldn't reveal, such as Eden Prime or Shepard's role in all this just yet, but telling them about the Reapers and our main adversary Cerberus was necessary, especially telling them about Elysium and Akuze. Looking back, telling them about the sort of impossible missions I had planned for them did seem outrageous. I chuckled a bit as I remembered the aftermath of that particular bombshell. _Jones's antics will certainly keep the team's heads on straight and Riley will reign him in before he gets to outrageous._

Overall I was happy with the composition of the team. Two snipers, an engineer/tech specialist, a CQB specialist, and two solid heavy hitters. I input the weapon tutorials suited for each of the team members, and put down the pad. I then continued staring out at the med-bay, a singular thought crossing my mind.

_I wonder how Shepard is doing right now?_

* * *

_Arcturus Station_

_Staff Lieutenant Amelia Patricia Shepard_

_N7 Operative_

_16 March 2180 – 2100 First Night of Non-Operational Rotation_

* * *

She let her damp brown hair hang past her shoulders instead of her characteristic ponytail. She sat down at her personal terminal in her quarters and called up her mother. After half a minute of a real time video uplink being established, her mother's face came into view.

Shepard smiled, "Hey Mom! How's it going!"

Hannah returned the smile, _"Hey sweetie, how's the first day behind a desk?"_

Amelia rolled her eyes, "Ugh! It's soooo boring! I just wish they would put me back in the field already! I'm about ready to warp my terminal out of boredom."

_"Now sweetie, you know they rotate operatives in and out to prevent burnout right? Can't have the Alliance's rising star peak before she's thirty."_

"Please Mom, I can handle it. Nothing I've done has even come close to Torfan or even Elysium."

Hannah frowned slightly at her daughter's confidence, _"Amelia, you better than anyone should know the wear and tear you get from constant field operations. Your father was a victim of it before the Alliance began taking better care of its soldiers."_

"Yeah, yeah I know, so how is it on the _Kilimanjaro?"_

"_Not as maintenance intensive as a carrier, since there aren't hanger bays full of fighters to keep maintained. Reminds me of my time on cruisers, just with more personnel. I'm definitely happy here."_

Amelia grinned at her mother's happiness, "That's great Mom. So have Anderson or Hackett said anything about Ghost?"

Hannah sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "No, other than the fact that six N7 operatives have gone off the radar since Torfan and that Hackett is keeping tight-lipped about their whereabouts, there is nothing new about him or Torfan. Honestly I don't know why you still bother, it's been almost three years."

"Well, I never did properly say goodbye to him, or thank him for helping me both times. I didn't even get to know his real name or what he looked like underneath the helmet."

Hannah grinned mischievously and joked with her daughter, "_Now don't tell me that my little girl has a crush on the big bad Ghost._" Amelia fought hard to hide her faint blush and was evidently successful, largely due to her mother staying silent.

"Come on Mom, I only met him once, don't be ridiculous."

_"I know sweetie. Now I have to go, so take care of yourself. Love you."_

"Bye, love you too." The terminal died soon after leaving Shepard alone to her thoughts. She got up and moved to her footlocker in her quarters and opened it, revealing her meager amount of personal items that she took around with her. Within the footlocker, however, was one large object, which she gently placed a hand on. The silver steel of the weapon felt smooth and cold at her touch and her thoughts drifted inward. _Where have you been all this time? _She closed the locker and sat on her bed and activated her omnitool, pulling up a file she had saved a few years before.

* * *

_To:Shepard_

_From: Worm_

_Shepard, I want to congratulate you on your N7 commission as well as the promotion. You deserved it, especially after Torfan. But that wasn't why I wanted to send you this message._

_I want to thank you for stopping Ghost from killing those POWs. You stopped him from destroying himself and I wouldn't have been able to stop him no matter how hard I tried. Ghost is my best friend, and lately the pressure of helping others has been getting to him. Your words had more effect on his mind than mine ever did, so I am a little jealous, but otherwise thankful you were there on the ground with him. Perhaps it is because he respects and admires you. The two of you have more in common than he would ever like to admit._

_If I didn't already say it enough, thank you for being there for Ghost, and know that you have another friend and ally in me. The two of us will be there if you ever really need our help. Also, don't ask how my name got to be Worm, cause I'm taking that story to the grave, unless Ghost tells you, then I'd have to kill you._

_Your Dashing Friend,_

_Max "Worm" Hill_

_P.S. His real name is Christopher "Mac" Zheng, don't tell him I told you. :P_

* * *

She closed out of the file and thought over the contents of the message. She sighed and began to undress for the night. _What's wrong with me? I don't even know what his face looks like._

* * *

_Aboard the Shadow of Hope – Epsilon Eridani System_

_Max "Worm" Hill_

_XO of the Shadow of Hope_

_31 September 2182 – 0800 _

* * *

Max looked over the various reports from the Monitors on operations that were occurring in preparation for the Reapers. Thankfully all operations were occurring well away from any Mass Relays, active or otherwise and there were no readings of derelict Reapers or their artifacts within the vicinity. It was times like these that he was thankful for the Librarian's advanced Slipspace communications suite that allowed him to keep tabs on their preparations. The Phoenix ships were proceeding on schedule and the few already completed ships were undergoing maintenance and given their complement of sentinels. The Huragok population had grown rapidly, more so than he had projected, so the new ships would have a complement of Huragok to maintain the ship and its sentinel complement. _Meatbag, Hev and Mist are staying on this ship though._

He had decided that Mac would be better served going solo on the Normandy, and that he would stay aboard the Shadow of Hope to conduct Shadow Team's Operations, while Forthencho coordinated the Monitor Operations. He regretted not being able to assist his best friend, but Chris needed to bond with others besides just him and Shadow Team. _I only remind him of when life was more simple, and Shadow Team will never see themselves as his equals, only his subordinates._

He continued going over the reports. The refugee centers were well underway to completion and their fortifications would be completed in the next two years. The listening posts at Omega-4 and the Bahak System were silent with no reported activity and the stealth surveillance probe at Cronos Station was still functioning properly and undiscovered. Sentinel production was at full capacity and 10 Guardian Sentinels not responsible for the defense of refugee worlds would soon be ready to supplement allied fleets against the Reapers when they came. He was still wary of using the Crucible, as it may be only a Reaper trap for the races. _Librarian didn't see fit to reveal that particular bit of information._ _Ah well, we should be able to hold off the reapers with our forces and buy time if the Crucible isn't the kill switch. Going to have to do something about the 'kill all synthetics' part. _

He checked on the training logs from the facility on the planet's surface. _They're meshing well as a team both on and off duty. Armor is working like I expected and the modified weapons have taken to the failsafes well, no bugs to speak of. _The team was as ready as they ever would and they needed to be. He read over the communique from Eden Prime once more. _They found some Prothean ruins down there, so the beacon should soon be uncovered and then Saren._

He grimaced at the thought of the treacherous Turian. _Can't get rid of the bastard until Sovereign shows up at the Citadel. Sucks having to make sure Shepard doesn't become handicapped from our help._ But that was the restriction placed on their mission, help Shepard and her galaxy, but only at a limited capacity until the Reapers arrived to ensure that this Humanity was worthy of accepting the Mantle in this galaxy. How they were going to handle the technology after the war was a huge headache, and one he wasn't going to worry about until after the damn Reapers were a footnote in history.

He turned to his more personal project. _Now let's see if we can't improve Chris's armor, now shall we._ He activated the ship's intercom to tell Meatbag and Hev to come to the ship's armory. _No damn husk is going to kill Mac if I have anything to say about it._

* * *

_Aboard the Normandy SR-1_

_Captain David Anderson_

_CO of the SSV Normandy_

_11 February 2183 – 1110 _

* * *

"We should be getting close to Eden Prime very shortl-"

_"Captain we've got a problem!"_

_"_What's wrong Joker?"

"We've got a transmission from Eden Prime sir, you need to see this."

The holographic projector in the briefing room came to life and began projecting a real time video feed. The turian SpecTRe with the white clan markings and the brunette human female joined him as he moved closer to take in the video feed. As they watched an Alliance squad fight for their lives as they sent out a distress signal, he noticed something strange in the background. The video eventually ended in static.

"That's the end of the transmission Captain, it cuts out after that."

"Reverse and hold at 38.5"

A foreboding image appeared on screen, unrecognizable to neither of the three occupants of the room.

The brunette woman spoke her mind. "What the hell is that?"

"I don't know Shepard, but it doesn't look good."

* * *

**_CODEX_**

MJOLINIR Mk VIII

-Shielding – Possesses both Kinetic Barriers and Energy Shielding to afford better protection to the operator and combat a wide range of threats. Can be supplemented by the armor's integrated omni-tool and Hardlight generator to produce tech armor when in a frontline engagement. Use of the supplementary system is ill advised in infiltration operations, due to the blue lighting giving away the user's position, as well as distorting the camouflage suite in the armor

-Nano Composite Body Suit – Adaptable to new combat situations it encounters and capable of self repair off the field and in lulls in fighting, the bodysuit is built with a hydrostatic gel layer for homeostasis and impact cushioning, reactive circuits and neural implant connector to decrease reaction times of the user, force multiplying circuits and artificial nano-muscle fibers to increase the wearer's strength and speed, and a liquid waste recycling system

-Hardlight Emitters – may act as tech armor generators or maneuvering thrusters on the ground or EVA operations.

-Dual Microfusion Plasma Generators – Supplies power to the armor and its various systems as well as supply power to the user's weapon (Promethean Hardlight-ion weapons only)

-Element Zero Core – Used in conjunction with Hardlight Emitters to maneuver easily and quickly on the battlefield

-Active Camouflage Suite – Used instead of photoreactive panels to prevent loss of stealth capabilities if armor is damaged in battle or prolonged use in the field. Extensive heat is generated by the system in exchange for prolonged use in the field.

-Power Uplink – Supplies power to Shadow Team's weapons, supplying a steady stream of power, but takes time to recharge the weapon fully. Recharge can be interrupted to fire a shot.

-Energy Dagger – Melee weapon composed of a magnetically shaped blade of high energy plasma.

Promethean Weaponry

Fires a combination of hardened light photons and ionized gas particles to excite the target's molecular bonds with high amounts of energy, resulting in a high speed molecular degradation chain reaction that results in the 'golden flake' effect of its victims. Effective against all types of matter, though metals denser than Lead only corrode with each shot instead of disintegration. Reaper alloys found in capital ships and husk armor plating resist hardlight 'flaking', however husks, are not immune to disintegration due to lack of armor and large amounts of organic tissue. If a reaper husk is equipped with armor, target unarmored sections or fire at a concentrated area to reach organic tissue and set off the chain reaction.

-Note: Highly lethal and potent energy weapons, kinetic barriers do not protect against these weapons and biotic barriers only offer slight protection.

-Note: Shadow Team's weaponry ionizes if handled by unauthorized personnel or left in the field away from the _Shadow of Hope _for an unknown period of time.

Shadow Team

A team of former N7 Operatives recruited by Ghost after the Invasion of Torfan, for their empathy and lack of exploitable relationships that may compromise them in the future. All six members of the team are personally indebted to Ghost and have willingly volunteered to aid his mission. Most were severely wounded from Torfan but were saved by his timely actions. All members of the team have undergone extensive muscular augmentations to improve strength, superconducting nanite neural implants to improve neural conductivity and reduce reaction times, ceramic bone ossification to strengthen the skeletal system, optical implants to improve visual acuity in normal and low light conditions, as well as biological improvements in the digestive, respiratory, circulatory, lymphatic, and excretory systems of the body.

Note: It should be said that there are no biotics on the squad, mostly due to the Alliance's tight hold on their biotic soldiers. However, their overall lethality makes up for the lack of a member with biotic abilities.

**Shadow Team Operational Profiles**

_Lee "Mother" Riley – Team Leader/Engineer/Tech Specialist_

\- Primary – Z-250 Light Rifle/ Secondary – Dual Z-130 Suppressors

\- A strong fighter, and excellent tactician, Riley is an excellent leader in combat operations. Her technical prowess both in and out of combat is also noteworthy. Maintains the image of an unflappable leader to the team other than to Jones in their private quarters. Excellent choice to lead Shadow Team while Ghost operates on the Normandy.

_Zach "Whisper" Jones – SiC/CQB Specialist_

\- Primary – Z-250 Light Rifle/ Secondary – Z-180 Scattershot

\- Known for being excessively talkative and borderline unprofessional off duty, Jones is the best CQB specialist on the team behind Keyes. His humor is noted to helping maintain unit cohesion and team integrity off the battlefield. It should be noted he is in a relationship with the team leader, but previous simulations have shown that it is not a problem in combat.

_Petra "Frenchie" Dychova – Sniper/Designated Marksman_

\- Primary – Z-750 Binary Rifle/ Secondary – Z-250 Light Rifle

\- One of the pair of Snipers on the team, Dychova is an excellent marksman and a strong frontline fighter, where she prefers to be. Her demeanor is fairly easygoing, but serious in combat situations. Though her personality can lead to some perceiving her to be 'airheaded,' her mental acuity and intelligence is the highest among the team, leading her to be the best situational analyst. Both on and off duty she prefers to spend time with Keyes as friends.

_Elizabeth "Longshot" Keyes – Sniper/Infiltration Specialist_

\- Primary – Z-750 Binary Rifle/ Secondary – M7S Suppressed SMG

\- The strong silent type, Keyes prefers to kill her targets before they even know she is there. The highest scoring member in stealth simulations, she is the team's best scout and covert sniper, as well as an excellent martial artist. The pair she forms with Dychova is a fearsome combination, augmented even more by their history dating back to basic training. It is only with her that Keyes seems to be able to hold a prolonged conversation.

_Michael "Pipsqueak" Dunn – Heavy Weapons Specialist_

\- Primary – Z-250 Light Rifle/ Secondary – Z-390 Incineration Cannon

\- The largest member of the team, Dunn prefers the overkill approach to fighting and has a proficiency for demolitions and heavy weapons. He is also the most gentle member of the team in demeanor. Recommend assigning him to be in charge of taking care of scared noncombatants and HVTs. The term "Gentle Giant" is fitting for the man, but Jones decided Pipsqueak was more fitting.

_James "Teddy" Lin – Designated Marksman_

\- Primary – Z-250 Light Rifle/ Secondary – M6 Grindell/ Spartan Laser

\- The most charismatic of the team, Lin is perfect for interacting with local populations and dealing with media coverage without preparation. His initial recruitment to the team, led him to display a hint of arrogance, until Mac adequately trained out his 'lone wolf' style and is an excellent frontline fighter. Jack of all trades and master of none, Lin can adapt to the given combat situation, from frontline fighter, to designated marksman, to infiltrator.

* * *

_A/N_

_Well here is the next chapter, and I had a quick turnaround for this one, because I wanted to go ahead and start planning out the Eden Prime mission. I'll cover Shadow Team's training in flashbacks throughout the ME1 arc of the story. Not the best quality, and mostly information being thrown out, but I'll make up for it in the Eden Prime mission and Citadel Arc (They'll both be in the next chapter). Also, I may no longer be doing dates and times in the fic as they really are hard to make and portray a realistic timeline. If you think the timeline is necessary I can always make it up. Chapter won't be out for a week cause of family and holidays._

_The chapter was mostly filled with the bigger events that occurred between Torfan and Eden Prime, and I wanted to just get started on the main arc of the story, so I didn't really put much in. I probably won't be using all of the dialogue/speeches in the Citadel missions, mostly because I don't want to copy-n-paste the dialogue. Expect Shadow Team to play a role in the main story from behind the scenes, as well as Worm and Dr. Vasquez. Forthencho and the war assets won't take center stage until likely either the Collectors or the Reapers make their move, I hadn't decided yet._

_On Shadow Team, they will be a powerful unit, but can still be overwhelmed by large numbers, so their missions will largely be surgical and tactical strikes on key positions. Mac will also be soloing on the Normandy, but will be able to communicate with the Shadow of Hope and its team freely. I was largely inspired by how Noble Team from Reach operated. A great tactical and strategic asset, but not invincible._

_Also big thanks to Caphricorn on deviantart for the cover art of this story. Let me know what you all think of it. And Happy Thanksgiving to all my American Readers. _


	8. And So It Begins

Chapter 7 – And So It Begins

* * *

_Aboard the Shadow of Hope – in transit_

_Christopher "Mac" Zheng_

_Shadow Team Commander_

* * *

I stood in front of the projector screen in full armor, sans helmet, waiting for the team to settle into their seats. As I waited, I went over the finer details of the plan down on the ground and later at the Citadel. _Well, this is what they trained five years for. Let's just hope it pays off. _

As the last two of the team, Riley and Jones, took their seats I lightly coughed to get their attention. Shortly afterwards, the room became silent as six pairs of eyes centered on me. "Listen up, I've got bad news and worse news and then some good news. What do you want first?"

Jones answered, "Good news first Mac!" The rest of the team nodded.

"Alright, it's been five years, and I'm proud to say that you're all going out into the field again." There were some whoops of joy coming from the guys and a high five between Jones and Lin. I decide to stop them by continuing. "However, the place we're about to go to is Eden Prime, as we have actionable intel, that it will be attacked soon."

The team quieted down and the sniper duo perked up as Riley became more attentive as well. Jones voiced the question on everyone's mind. "Why would anyone attack Eden Prime? The place is the most peaceful colony of the Alliance, and it's not a hard military target. Just farmers and a space port."

I nod and press a button to activate the holographic projector. A topographical map of an excavation site came to view. "Two weeks ago, our network has picked up chatter of prothean ruins uncovered on Eden Prime. Shortly after the first radio transmissions, all communications about the site were either censored or cut off entirely at the dig site. The burst of comms traffic was too brief for most people to catch it." I turn to look at them before continuing. "But we're not most people."

A new, closer image replaces the first, showing more extensive excavations in the area. "A surveillance probe was sent to monitor the area and watch for any unwanted activity at the site, but a few days ago an unexpected find turned up in the ruins." A new picture appears of an iridescent green, rectangular object on a pedestal.

"That's a Prothean Beacon!" Riley breathed in surprised astonishment. There was a general murmur of astonishment among the rest of the team, which was silenced when I held up my left hand. I then placed both hands behind my back.

"Yes, it is, and its existence on Eden Prime makes it a prime and easy target for anyone who wants to get their hands on it. The planet has no defensive fleet on station at this moment, as its assigned rotation has placed it over Terra Nova, so no orbital Alliance support. Additionally, the planet's garrison only consists of the 212th . Needless to say they aren't equipped to handle a large scale offensive."

"So who's going to be attacking? Not many Terminus warlords have proficient intel capabilities." Lin inquired.

To answer his question, a new picture appeared on the screen of a Turian without any clan markings. "The individual you see before you is Saren Arterius. Turian biotic, Council SpecTRe and anti-human enthusiast. Participated in the First Contact war and lost his brother by the actions of a certain human mercenary and his group, Jack Harper. I am sure you all recognize the name by now after your initial briefing and intel packets were given in orientation. But that's not of a concern at the moment since Cerberus is staying quiet at the moment."

"Uh…Mac, why would Saren go for the beacon? We're allies with the Council, so I don't understand why he would attack an Alliance colony."

I smile a bit as I answer him, "Ah, that is where the worse news comes in. You see, Saren might be a SpecTRe in official capacity, but he hasn't been the Council's for a long time, if ever." A new image appeared, showing a gray-blue cuttlefish like construct that oozed a menacing aura. "Say hello to Nazara, aka Sovereign, aka Reaper Capital Ship, aka Vanguard of our Destruction. All around bad news as you all know. Shortly after the First Contact War, Saren was subverted by a Reaper artifact and became an indoctrinated agent. Why they chose now to reveal themselves to the galaxy at large is a mystery, but I suspect that Saren has a plan in place to cover his tracks once he gets on the colony and gets the beacon."

"Even if he is a Council SpecTRe, how is one man going to take on an entire planetary garrison? Especially one that has been placed on high alert to guard the beacon?" Dychova pointed out the flaw in Saren's plan.

"You see that is part of the worse news." A new image of a geth trooper appeared. "Nazara, being the sentient synthetic starship that it is, has approached the geth for their assistance. Thankfully, there was a sort of religious schism between the robots, one that sought advancement by their own means, and one that sought to seek advancement under the subjugation of Nazara. Needless to say, we will be fighting the geth who ally with the Reaper. The rest are beyond the Perseus Veil and minding their own business, so we won't concern ourselves with them."

"So that's why Worm had us fighting these things in the simulator recently."

I nod, "That's right, and as the simulations told you, their weapons rip through kinetic barriers and ceramic hardsuits like wet tissue paper. Thankfully your suits have some unexpected upgrades that they won't be expecting."

"Will our weapons work against them? I figure a race of sentient machines would have durable armor and components that will nullify our weapons' from ionizing them." Dunn surmised.

"Their armor, yes, but their limbs, and big flashlight on their head, not so much. The geth ground force is more about quantity over quality, due to their networking nature, and every casualty results in less loss in their overall intelligence in battle. As a result, the rank and file trooper is fairly weak, but their numbers are a quality of their own, so don't underestimate them." I turn off the projector and turn to them.

"We'll be inserting via orbital reentry via drop pods to allow the ship to stay in stealth, since the teleporter will light up the sensors of enemy ships near the ground, and we're not equipped to handle a Reaper Capital ship in a stand up fight."

"Mission parameters?" Riley answered.

"Aid the local garrison and militia in securing and evacuating the civilians. Once we reach orbit, the six of you will be inserting behind enemy formations to flank them and link up with the locals. I want tech armor up before we drop. We're going loud for this one, so put your game faces on. Once the civilians are secure, rendezvous at the dig site and provide support."

"And you sir, where will you be?"

"I'll be inserting at a different location and make my way towards the dig site to recon the area. I won't be using any advanced weaponry on this mission. Hopefully, by the time we link up we can prevent Saren from making his way towards the beacon, or failing that, secure it for the Alliance. Any questions?" All six members of Shadow Team stayed silent and mentally prepared themselves as I stood there. "Good. Armor up and grab your weapons, we drop in ten minutes."

* * *

_Eden Prime – City of Constant_

_Staff Lieutenant Jonathan Kent_

_212__th__ Alliance Garrison _

* * *

The day was not going how he imagined it would be on Eden Prime. Killer robots and cybernetic zombies were definitely not in the day's mission brief, and the city was going up in flames around him. And now he was in charge of the remnants of the 212th and the colonial militia thanks to the fact that the unit's command center was hit by the giant flying cuttlefish. Now Major Silvia and her command staff were all bloody paste in the rubble.

"Lieutenant, we can't stay here! We'll be overrun if we don't fall back from this intersection."

"And abandon the civilians!? We're the last line of defense between the geth and the evacuation bunkers. We stay here until the other units have finished digging in at the shelters."

"If we stay here we'll be killed anyway."

"If we leave, the rest of the defenders won't have enough time to fortify themselves. We stay here and buy time with our lives like good soldiers if we have to. Is that understood?"

He nodded grimly, "Yes sir."

"Good, no shore up that right flank, I'm not letting any damn robots destroy the city. We're not going to die here son, not if I have anything to say about it."

One of the colonial militia fell next to him, riddled with the pulse rounds fired by the geth weapons. "GET TO COVER!" Along the line, a makeshift barrier of overturned vehicles and shipping crates were scattered across the intersection to give the twenty defenders some semblance of cover against the deadly fire. "RETURN FIRE! I DON'T WANT A SINGLE ROBOT PAST THIS DAMN LINE!" Kent popped out of cover and let loose a barrage of fire until the weapon was close to overheating. He dropped down as the man next to him popped up to keep a steady stream of rounds sent down range. Before the Alliance marine could get back into cover, he slumped forward against the barrier, with a good portion of his face burned away by the pulse rounds. Kent gritted his teeth, "Son of a bitch!"

Next to him he heard a private yell out, "INCOMING!" The remaining defenders hit the dirt, to avoid as much damage as possible from the indirect fire. As Kent lay down on the ground covering his head, he waited for the inevitable explosion that would decimate their line of defense. Seconds ticked by and the only sound he was greeted with was a lull in the incoming fire. Kent gathered himself and peeked over his cover and was greeted with the site of six strange, steaming pod-like protrusions in the street ahead of him. The geth were also curious and a few units moved closer to inspect this new oddity.

As a few units neared the front of the pods, the wall of one side blew out explosively, crumpling an unlucky few geth troopers and husks into twisted metal and paste respectively. Emerging from the now opened pods were black armored behemoths wreathed in blue light holding golden accented weapons. As the geth tried to process the new information before them, the six figures leveled their weapons, and the resulting chaos stunned all combatants, both synthetic and organic alike. One by one, the unknowns fired beams of golden light at the geth, resulting in chunks of their armor and bodies dissolving away into golden flakes and dissipating into the surrounding air. The robotic warriors returned fire with a flurry of pulse rounds to little effect, much to their and the humans' bewilderment.

Snapping out of his stupor, Kent yelled to the rest of his men. "Come on boys, we've got back up! Let's show these robots the Alliance can kick some ass!" With the renewed morale brought on by the sudden arrival of these armored beings, the fifteen remaining defenders returned fire at the geth, making short order of the enemy opposition with their newfound allies. In minutes, the fighting died away leaving many half dissolved metallic corpses on the ground, a reversal in the previous situation faced by Constant's defenders.

One of the black armored figures strode towards the defenders, while the rest spread out and set up a perimeter along the intersection. The being spoke. "Shadow 1 reporting, who is in charge here?" _Huh, it's a she then._

Kent stepped forward, "That'd be me, Staff Lieutenant Kent, commander of Eden Prime's defense force."

"That's a little above what Lieutenants usually do…"

"Well it would be Major Silvia and his staff, but the command center got bombed by that big ship in the initial invasion. I'm all that's left of the officers stationed here."

"My condolences, what's the situation on the ground."

"We've got most of the city's population evacuated to the bomb shelters, but the rest escaped into the countryside, so we aren't in a position to help them. The rest of my men not here have been fortifying the bunkers to repel any hostiles. What you see here was a delaying force to buy them some time." He pointed down the street towards the giant ship in the background. "See that cuttlefish thing over there? All of the hostiles are coming from the spaceport and have to go down this street to make it to the shelters."

The armored figure swiveled its blue visored helmet from side to side, taking in the situation. "We'll assist you in holding this position, until our ship tells us otherwise." The woman turned to her squad, silently motioning orders with her hands.

The NCO who confronted him earlier came up next to him. "Who's that?"

Kent shrugged, "No idea Chief, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mou- did that one just pick up a truck!?"

* * *

_2 Klicks West of the Dig Site_

_Christopher Mac Zheng_

* * *

There was an explosive bang as the door to my drop pod burst outward, allowing me to exit and take in my surroundings. I stepped out of the pod and brought out both of my SMG's from the pod's storage compartments. I then stored my ammunition in the slipspace storage compartment that Worm had Meatbag graft onto my suit for me. _Guess he knew I'd rather take regular bullet weapons any day._ I engaged my camouflage suite and activated the beacon on the pod to be teleported back onto the ship after Sovereign had left the system. I then head towards the beacon on my HUD for the dig site. My comm activates and a viewscreen appears in the upper left hand corner with Worm's image on it.

_"Mac, I've got good news and better news." _

"Alright, I'll bite, what's the good news?"

_"Shadow Team has linked up with Constant's defenders and are holding the line against geth forces moving into the city from the spaceport."_

"No geth dropships?"

_"No, it appears Sovereign came with whatever it had on board with it, so the space port is the only point of origin they can come from. I've got my sensors on the city, so the geth won't be able to flank Shadow Team without me knowing."_

"I'm surprised no geth ships are in orbit, I figured there would be something here for orbital support."

_"You forget that this was supposed to be a smash and grab on a largely undefended colony brother. They weren't expecting us, not by a long shot." _

I chuckled a bit, "No they didn't, and I don't think they realize what we'll have in store for them."

_"Just like old times, Mac."_

"Sure is, so what's this about better news?"

_"Normandy is in system, so they should be here rather shortly. Good chance for you to meet your not so secret admirer."_

"Worm…"

"_Hey, just calling it like I sees 'em. You two worked pretty well together if I recall."_

"I've been gone for 5 years, things change."

"_Just keep in mind that you may have made as much an impact on her as she did on you that day. Nobody forgets something like that. I know you didn't."_

I sigh inwardly and scan the area as I head towards the dig site. "Did we arrive soon enough to help out the dig site?"

_"Sorry Mac, even with our enhanced Slipspace drives, it still took us awhile to reach the system and cruise in stealthed. The area is already swarming with geth troopers and drones."_

"And Williams's squad, can I still assist them?"

_"No, all I'm seeing is a single life sign moving around the dig site's vicinity, which I assume is Ashley."_

"Damnit! We should have stationed ourselves in orbit instead of waiting at the training facility!"

_"We couldn't have known when it would have happened Mac, and Shadow wasn't ready for an op until yesterday."_

"I could have done something to stop this!"

_"And do what? For all we know, any further meddling on our part could prevent Shepard from reaching the beacon, and you know we can't have that happen. She's the key to all of this, to all of our plans."_

_"_Damn it, you're right and I hate you for it. I wish we could save everyone. We have the ships and technology to stop it!"

_"You know we can't do that. The Alliance and the Citadel races would never grow, and the alliances they would form from the hardship wouldn't occur. Our mission isn't to protect them, it's to act from the shadows and guide their victory." _I tighten the grips on my weapons in anger. Worm's tone grew soft. _"You and I know better than anyone that people die in wars Chris. You're not the only one fighting here."_

I sighed, "Yeah, I know man. But it never gets easy having people die on your watch." I walk silently for a few minutes until I reach the dig site. "Worm, the beacon's gone already, I'm moving to the spaceport."

_"Double time it Mac, the Normandy just dropped off Nihlus and Shepard's team."_

I clamber up onto the ridge line and take the high ground above the research camp, taking note of the dragon's teeth littering the campgrounds. The bodies on them were already undergoing reaperification, leaving shredded bits of skin and unprocessed flesh hanging loosely off the blue skin. I silently sneak past the area and come within view of the loading area for the space port. I holster both of my weapons and increase my HUD's magnification, as I lay prone on the ridgeline. I notice a turian moving silently towards the loading area around 100 meters away from it. I then pan over and spot a geth unit conversing with another turian with extensive cybernetic upgrades. _Saren you bastard. _

"Worm, I'm starting the video recording on Saren's betrayal, should I intervene?"

Worm shook his head, _"No, you need to maintain your cover, so we get all the evidence. I don't want Saren to be able to spin the recording to his benefit. It'll be good to him squirm."_

"What about Kyrik?"

_"The risk is too high, and he could compromise us when we join the Normandy. Hold your fire."_

I grimace in distaste but nod my understanding. "I'm starting the recording, data stream being sent back to the ship."

The two turians greet each other in the midst of scattered shipping crates. Nihlus noticeably lowers his guard and walks past Saren, exposing his back to the traitor. Shortly afterward, the Reaper agent levels his pistol at his protégé, who was unaware of his impending doom. My perception of time slows down as I grit my teeth, Saren's finger slowly tightening on the trigger. As the trigger is fully depressed, a small projectile enters the back of Nihlus's skull and exited out the front between his eyes. The exit wound leaves a pulpy mess of shattered plate and liquefied flesh and brain matter. The shot rings out shortly afterward, and time appears to speed up again. I avert my eyes from the tragedy and clench my fist.

I activate my comm to contact Shadow Team. "Shadow-1 report."

Riley's face popped up on the left side of my HUD, _"Sir, the geth are falling back towards the spaceport, I think they're about to bug out. Keyes and Dychova are getting a line of sight on the area."_

"I know they are. Saren's got the beacon and he's headed towards the spaceport and his ship. Take the team and set up near the spaceport and observe from a distance."

_"Do you want us to intercept him?"_

"No, do not go anywhere near that spaceport until the Reaper ship has taken off. Don't take hostile action until I give the explicit order."

There was a pause before she responded, "_Yes sir_."

Before the feed cut out I addressed her, "Riley if something is on your mind speak freely. I don't want mindless drones on my team, let alone leading them."

_"Sir, we could just eliminate Saren and his geth force right now and be done with it. I don't understand why we're letting him go here after what he's done."_

I nod in understanding. "I know, and I'd like nothing more than to put one between his eyes and take the bastard down. But we don't know the full extent of his and Nazara's plans. He's the only lead we've got on Nazara and its geth fleet, so we need him alive so we can track him and his operations. It isn't the best option in the world, but it is necessary. We're not here for revenge or redemption, we're here to make sure more lives don't suffer and our civilization burns to ashes. And we do it in the shadows. Hooah?"

_"Hooah sir, I'm sorry I doubted you."_

I shook my head, "It's your job to question orders Team Leader, now double time it. I need you on call if the enemy leaves a surprise at the space port."

_"What are you going to do sir?"_

"I'm going to link up with the Alliance recovery team they sent for the beacon, we'll head over to the space port once the Reaper ship leaves."

"_Understood sir, see you on the other side."_

I smile and nod, "Good hunting Shadow-1." The comms went silent and I picked myself up from the ground and observed the path that lead to the research camp. I glance down at the area below and see several geth troopers and husks in the area. _Well, time to do some house cleaning._

* * *

_Outskirts of Constant – 3 klicks from spaceport_

_Lee "Mother" Riley_

_Shadow Team Leader_

* * *

The four members of Shadow moved silently amongst the decimated buildings on the outskirts of the capital city of Constant, their active camouflage rendering them invisible to all but thermal sensors. While the rest of the team established a perimeter around the building, Riley proceeded upwards to the snipers nest of Keyes and Dychova, who were maintaining a line of sight on the space port and the activity below.

_"_What have you got for me girls?"

Dychova spoke up while maintaining her gaze on the spaceport and its occupants. "We've got a lock on Saren exiting the spaceport with the beacon and a few flashlight heads. Liz, you got a shot?" Keyes took her left hand and gave a thumbs up, while having her right index finger hover over the trigger housing. "We can end this right now Riley."

"That's a negative you two, we don't take any action without Mac's say so. He doesn't want us to attract the ship's attention."

Both marksmen turned towards her, surprised at her order. Dychova voiced both of their thoughts, "Say again?"

"Mac thinks that there is more to Saren's plans than what we're seeing here. He wants him alive so we can track his movements and find out what he's up to."

"You can't be serious. The bastard just attacked a farming colony! We're just going to let him go?" Keyes nodded in agreement.

"Yes we are, and I agree with him on this one, like everything else he's done. His judgment has been good so far. Trust is the least you owe him, after all he's done."

Dychova sighed and shook her head, "I know, doesn't mean I have to like his decision."

"He doesn't either, which makes him a good commander. He makes the tough calls so we don't have to."

Dychova was about to respond when Keyes interrupted her, "Saren is standing in front of the beacon."

Riley used her helmet's magnification to look at the scene, and was greeted with the sight of a turian levitating off the ground in front of the beacon. She panned around and noticed geth troopers in a flurry of activity, setting down gray metal cases on the ground around the spaceport. She turned back to look for Saren, and noticed him stepping onto a pedestal that carried him away toward the large ship in the distance. She then spoke to the duo, "Looks like they're getting ready to clean house. You two stay here and provide overwatch, while I take the rest of the team to the spaceport."

Both answered with a "Yes ma'am."

Riley turned back towards the exit and stealthily hurried down toward the rest of the team. She activated her comms, "Alright boys, time to pack it up. We're moving in on the spaceport to wait for Mac." Three green acknowledgement lights winked on, notifying her that they were ready to head out as soon as she arrived. _Let's hope you know what you're doing Mac._

* * *

_Alliance Research Camp_

_Lieutenant Commander Amelia Patricia Shepard_

_XO of SSV Normandy_

* * *

The talk with Dr. Warren had been slightly disconcerting, but she had chalked it up to the ramblings of a madman, his colleague certainly did so. She glanced at the newest addition to her squad. _Poor woman lost her whole squad to the geth. _She then surveyed the destruction around her in the research camp, shaking her head in disgust. _I can't even imagine what is going in the capital._

Amelia proceeded along the path out of the camp and towards the loading area for the spaceport, her squad following closely behind her. She walked forward warily having learned her lesson after losing Jenkins to an ambush from geth drones. His death weighed heavily on her mind, and could only be explained by her inattention from the deceptively calm landing. She pushed the guilt from her mind focusing on the task at hand. Off in the distance she heard a sharp crack, as the large aquatic ship rose up into the atmosphere, a menacing aura surrounding its ascent.

"Look at the size of that ship!" Shepard and Alenko only stared, awestruck by its size. They snapped out of their stupor and proceeded onwards up the hill.

As Shepard and her two squadmates crested the top of the incline, she was greeted with silence. Instead of seeing several hostiles on their way towards her squad, she saw several bodies of husks and geth littering the hillside. She turned to her new squad member, "Williams, was there anyone from the 212 stationed around the loading area?"

The woman shook her head a sour look on her face, "No, at least not that I know of, and I don't think this is their handiwork. I hate to say it, but there'd be a lot more Alliance bodies. Our unit never stood a chance against the geth."

Alenko knelt down next to one of the fallen geth troopers to investigate. "Commander, whatever killed these things left some nasty entry and exit wounds. This wasn't standard issue Alliance gear."

"Hmmm," she looked at the damage done to the robot. It looked eerily familiar, but she couldn't place where she had seen it before. As she tried to recall her memories from the sense of déjà vu, Williams called out from behind her.

"Commander over here!" Shepard tore her gaze from the metal body and strode purposefully towards Williams, who stood in front of a locked shed.

"What've you got Williams?"

"The thing is locked commander, but there may be someone in there who knows where the beacon went." She struggled with the electronic lock, but it buzzed denying her entry. "Thing is, I can't get the damn door to open." She said with gritted teeth.

"Let me give it a try." Alenko came up from behind them and strode towards the door.

"Oh, fine let's see how well you do, I'm sure we'll be standing here for a whi-" the door dinged and flashed green, signifying that it was unlocked.

"Encryption's hard to crack if you don't have the right training for it. Omni gel would have worked just fine too." He said with a grin plastered on his face.

Williams grumbled a bit and said something about 'damn good looking elvis impersonator.'

"Can it you two. Now let's see what we've got." Amelia pushed the door control and was greeted by three frightened dock workers

"Don't shoot, we're coming out. We're not armed!" The man in front spoke with his hands raised. The woman to his left spoke up, fear permeating her voice.

"Is it safe? Are they all gone?"

"You're okay now, nobody's left out here to hurt you." Shepard reassured them.

"Those things were crawling all around the shed. They would have found us for sure. We owe you our lives."

Williams chose to interrupt, "Uh, that wasn't us, we just got here."

The man looked astonished, "Then who did?"

Alenko answered him, "We don't know. We were hoping you could tell us, or where the geth took the beacon."

"Sorry, we booked it into the shed, once that ship came down. I knew it was bad news the moment I saw it."

"What can you tell me about the ship?"

"Not much, I was too busy running to get a good look at it. I think it landed over near the spaceport."

"Cole, tell the soldiers about the awful noise it made?"

Amelia turned to the lead man called Cole in puzzlement, "What noise?"

"It was awful, like the shriek of the damned, except it was inside your own head."

"It was probably a jamming signal, explains why the distress signal got cut off." Alenko added in.

"Whatever it was, it felt like it was tearing through my skull. About made it impossible to think."

Williams strode up to her and whispered in her ear, "Commander, these dock workers don't know anything, we need to get moving and find the beacon."

Amelia nodded in agreement, "Alright, you three stay here and out of sight until the fighting dies down. I should go."

"Don't worry we will." The three went back into the shed and locked the door behind them.

As the team went down the hill towards the loading area, Alenko provided his suspicions. "Shepard, something didn't seem right about those three. It was like they were hiding something."

"I know, but we're running out of time and we need to get to that beacon. No point in getting involved right now, we've got more important things to do." The three of them soon came up to the loading area connected to the spaceport, littered with unopened crates that obscured their view. They soon came upon a turian body with a pool of blood and gore surrounding its head. Alenko served to confirm her fears and suspicions of its identity.

"Shepard, it's Nihlus."

Before she could respond, Williams called out movement. "Something's moving! Over behind those crates!"

Sure enough a human male walked up from behind a stack of crates near the body, his hands were up, fear permeating his features. "Wait! Don't shoot, I'm Human!"

"Sneaking up on us like that almost got you killed!"

"I-I know, I'm sorry. I was just hiding from those creatures." Amelia and her squad lowered their weapons. "My name is Powell. I saw what happened to that turian, his friend shot him in the back."

"Tell me how he died, I need to know Powell."

"The other turian got here first, I-I think he was waiting for him. They definitely knew each other. I-I think his name was Saren. The Nihlus guy seemed to let his guard down and relax, and then Saren shot him in the back. I'm just lucky he didn't find me."

Williams spoke up, confused. "Who's Saren?"

"Council SpecTRe, ruthless operator and a turian with a general distaste and hatred for humanity." A familiar voice appeared out of nowhere, its owner dissolving into view out of thin air, leaning against the crates with its arms crossed. Powell jumped in fright and cowered away from the figure in black armor. Williams and Alenko raised their weapons at the stranger, however, Amelia had nothing but a grin plastered on her face. "Lieutenant Shepard, long time no see, or should I say Commander?"

Williams raised her voice, "Who are you?!"

Amelia turned towards the marine, "Williams, Alenko! Lower your weapons! He's a friendly!" She turned back towards the familiar figure before her. "Ghost! Funny time to show. You never call, never write. You just up and disappeared five years ago!"

Ghost shrugged, "Had some business to take care of, and besides you were too busy for me to come visit anyways, miss big shot SpecTRe candidate."

Her eyes widened, "How do you know about that!? I just found out a few hours ago."

"I have my sources," he said with obvious amusement in his voice. His tone then turned serious, "but we can catch up later. Right now we need to get to that beacon at the spaceport."

Alenko asked a question from her left, "Were you the one that killed all those geth and husks?"

He nodded. "More or less. Wasn't too difficult if they can't see you."

Shepard, not all too surprised at Ghost's antics, asked him for help, "I could use your help at the spaceport. Would you mind joining us?"

"Wouldn't miss it Shepard, but I've got a team moving in on the facility right now. They said that Saren left with the ship, but there are around 50 geth left at the spaceport doing something. My ship is headed towards it, trying to get a read on what they're doing."

"You have a team now?"

"I'll tell you all about it after we're done here. Now let's get to the tramway, I've already cleared the area." Ghost picked himself up off the crate and proceeded towards the tram rails.

Alenko looked quizzically at her, "How do you two know each other?"

"It's a long story, I'll tell you about it later. Right now we need to move."

"Can we trust him?" Ashley inquired.

Amelia turned her head towards her as they followed Ghost and answered. "With my life."

The three of them met up with the mysterious individual and proceeded on the tramway. The tram car soon made its way towards the spaceport and the beacon. Ghost pulled up both of his weapons from his thighs. Amelia walked up to him towards the railing. "Still using those things? Why not get an upgrade?"

He turned towards her. "I don't need an upgrade, just wouldn't be fair to my enemies now would it?" He inspected his weapons and continued. "Besides, they get the job done. And I've gotten attached to them over the years. This one is Beth and the other is Suzie. They're twins." He gestured with his left then his right.

She tried to hold in a laugh at his behavior. "You're not being serious are you?" She was mostly successful.

"A little bit." He paused in thought. "I never did thank you for stopping me that day."

"I didn't need one. Though a message or two would have been nice. I like to stay in touch with my friends."

"I never knew we were friends Shepard."

"You helped me out on Elysium, I helped you out on Elysium, we got along and killed some pirates. I've made friends through stranger circumstances."

Ghost chuckled, "I guess so, well it's nice that you see me that way. And I couldn't contact you if I tried, many people were after me and were watching you, because of it."

"Yeah, yeah. You can make it up to me later. Right now we've got robots to scrap." She hefted her sniper rifle. The spaceport was coming into view. "Is your team in position?"

"Yeah, they're just waiting for my go ahead." The tram came to a stop and the team exited the platform. They noticed a beeping metallic cylinder to their left. "Shit, I'm picking up radiological signatures from that thing, we need to disarm it." Amelia nodded and disarmed the device quickly, disconnecting the power source from the detonator proved to be an easy feat.

"One down, how many are left."

"I've got four more in the vicinity and my motion tracker is going off the charts."

"Well we've got to hurry then." All four members ran up the stairs onto the walkway, where they were soon barraged with geth pulse rounds. Shepard and her team took cover behind the railing. "Damn it, we're pinned!"

Ghost however appeared calm. "Shadow Team, move in and secure the area."

"Shadow Team?" Williams asked, bewildered.

Just then two geth troopers fell as chunks of their bodies dissolved away into golden flakes, rendering the platforms useless as critical electronics floated away in ions into the atmosphere. They were joined by more of their comrades as four armored beings similar to Ghost jumped over the wall to their right and began firing their weapons at the geth. They were wreathed in blue light and carrying gold accented weapons, leaving an awe inspiring sight to Shepard and her two squadmates. The robotic troopers retreated from the area into the docking area as their numbers steadily dwindled from the incoming fire. The four in black armor ran up the stairway and met up with Amelia. Ghost addressed the new allies.

"We've got four nukes in the area, fan out and disarm them. I'll go forward with the Alliance and secure the beacon."

A chorus of "Yes sirs" came from them and they quickly made their way down the catwalk towards the bombs. Shepard and her team followed shortly afterward, and moved past their new allies to get to the beacon.

As they made their way to the docking area, the sight of twenty geth troopers and husks greeted them and immediately put her team under fire. All four of them slid to cover at the stairway and began returning fire. "Take them down!" She spotted Ghost holstering his weapons and activated two blue blades on his wrists. "Ghost you can't seriously be thinking-" he bathed himself in plates of blue light and leaped over the railing down below. She groaned in annoyance. "Of course you are. Cover him!"

The order was much easier said than done, as Ghost cleaved his way through the enemy, none of them unable to land a solid hit on him as his speed and agility between targets left very few of the geth with a clear line of sight. Not to be outdone, Shepard set her rifle on the railing and brought the head of a husk in her scope and turned it into a shower of blue goo. She turned to Alenko, "Alenko lift that trooper!"

A geth trooper was surrounded by a blue aura of dark energy and slowly levitated from the ground. She sent a warp in its direction. As the mass of dark energy connected with the trooper, the two fields disrupted each other and exploded violently, throwing the rest of the enemy to the ground. The disabled synthetics soon fell to a barrage of fire from Shepard's squad and her accurate sniping. As the last enemy trooper fell, Ghost deactivated his blades and drew his two weapons. Amelia hopped over the railing, anger clouding her mind.

"What's wrong with you?"

Taken slightly aback by her outrage, Ghost responded. "What are you talking about?"

"They could have easily killed you down there! That was reckless and stupid of you!"

"Shepard, this isn't my first rodeo, and I've done much more dangerous than that little brawl, if you're going to get worried. Even Torfan was worse than this. What's wrong with you?"

Calming down slightly, she was a little surprised at herself. "I-I don't know, just don't do something like that. I don't think I can-"

Before she could finish, Ghost tackled her to the ground behind some crates. Slightly confused and flustered, she didn't realize why he tackled her until she heard their cover being bombarded by heavy fire. Ghost rose from on top of her and drew both his weapon and left to meet the new assailant before she could stop him. She gathered herself and picked up her weapon, ready to support the frustrating man running towards the new hostile. A geth platform much larger than the ones she had seen thus far stood at the far end of the docking area and sent out a torrent of fire at Ghost, who was dashing quickly to his assailant. As Ghost reached the geth it struck out with its weapon, hoping to melee the frustrating target but hit nothing but air as Ghost leaped high above the geth platform and somersaulted. As his momentum carried him over the its head, he pointed his weapons down and began firing at the geth's back and blew away a chunk of its armor, as the barrels were well within the range of its kinetic barriers. As Ghost landed behind the confused geth platform he drew out a spiked cube of orange and silver and planted it into the delicate electronics in the geth's body through the newly formed hole. He dove away and rolled to a safer position. As the geth turned to fire at Ghost's retreating form, it's torso exploded into small golden flakes as a sphere of pulsating orange light surrounded it, leaving nothing but flakes of ionized metal and carbon tubing. With the area clear, Ghost rose from his cover and jogged over back to an exasperated Shepard.

"So, going to yell at me for that one?"

She groaned and palmed her face as she shook her head. Ghost chuckled and turned away to greet his team making their way towards him. She listened in as they reported in and saluted him. Ghost waved them off, but still returned the salute, obviously preferring a more informal method of command. _He's like me then, huh._

The four dropped their salutes and one of them spoke up, "Orders sir?" _A woman? Why does she sound so familiar?_

"Pair up and secure the area. Tell Shadows 3 and 4 to pack up and activate the beacons on the pods for recovery. I'll stay here and make sure the Alliance gets their beacon."

A chorus of yes sirs came about and the four dissolved into the background. Taking that as her cue she called up the Normandy for pick-up. "Normandy, beacon is secure, requesting immediate evac." As she waited for a response, she heard a commotion behind her and turned towards it. She was greeted with the sight of Alenko being pulled towards the beacon and into the air. Thinking quickly, she wrapped her arms around his waist and twisted away from the beacon, throwing him to the ground. To her dismay, she now took her place and was slowly being lifted into the air. Pain permeated her skull as obscure images tinged with fear and horror flashed through her mind. As the pain grew worse, her mind began to black out and the last thing she felt was a wave of pressure as she lost consciousness.

* * *

_SpecTRe Saren Arterius_

_Traitor and Reaper Agent_

* * *

The ship was silent, save for the constant thrumming occurring in his mind. Saren sat in his chair with a hand over his face, brooding over the day's past events. Behind him, he heard the soft footsteps of his second in command striding towards him.

"We identified the ship that touched down on Eden Prime. The Normandy. A human Alliance vessel. It is under the command of Captain Anderson, they and the soldiers in black managed to save the colony."

"Any word on the unknown soldiers?"

"They were only seven in number, but their ship was never found. They are but a small group, no threat to our plans."

Saren growled as the other presence in his mind urged him to ask the question. "And the beacon?"

"One of the humans may have used it."

A rage, not entirely his own, filled Saren as he flung away various items from his chair and slunk in a primal slouch and strode towards his subordinate. He grabbed her head between his two hands firmly. As reason slowly began to ebb away at his anger, he loosened his grip and eventually let go. He growled out an order at the other's suggestion, "This human must be… eliminated." With that, Saren strode away from the formerly influential asari matriarch and prepared himself for the inevitable meeting with the bumbling fools of the council

* * *

_Serpent Nebula_

_Christopher "Mac" Zheng_

_Shadow Team Commander_

* * *

"_Worm to Shadow Team we have a go, begin deployment."_

I turned to the rest of my squad in the airlock, "Check your seals." The rest of the team checked over their suits' seals and gave each a thumbs up. Riley tapped me on the shoulder to signify that everything was a go. "Worm open the hatch, Shadow is ready to go." The airlock interior was filled with hissing as the atmosphere was pumped out to avoid an explosive decompression. The door opened to reveal a silver elongated station, slightly obscured from the purple haze of the nebula around it.

_"We're three klicks from the station, the arm ahead of you has Chora's Den on it. I've uploaded its coordinates to your HUDs." _A blue diamond appeared at a spot on the gray metal arm of the Citadel._ "Traffic is low on this side, so it should be a straight shot. We'll monitor your progress and watch for ships."_

"Roger that Worm, Shadow is ready to move out." The six behind me placed themselves along a black metal tube 8 meters long and a meter in diameter. They stooped down and grabbed the handholds, ready to move off.

_"Good hunting Shadow." _

I stepped forward and pushed myself off the edge of the doorway, orienting myself so that my "up" axis was slightly oriented "above" the target. The thrusters on my back fire briefly to adjust my body so that my momentum carries me to the edge of the arm. I cruise gently towards the station, my black armor blending into the surrounding nebula, and my size rendering invisible to the Citadel fleet's sensors.

The comm comes to life revealing Dr. Vasquez's voice. "_Shadow Team, you've got a freighter on a course that will intercept your path. Change your heading to zero-two-fiver."_

"Acknowledged doc. Shadow, you copy?" Six green acknowledgement lights wink on in the left corner or my HUD. I command my suit's thrusters to angle me "above" the freighter ship's heading and proceed smoothly in the semi-vacuum of the nebula. The ship soars beneath me and my team about 50 meters away, its crew unaware of the seven deadly soldiers cruising above them. I correct my heading and sail the last kilometer to the station's outer hull. As I near the station, I twist my body and orient myself feet first towards the outer metal hull. My feet clang and adhere to the metal surface through magnetization. I feel several thumps behind me. "Status." Again, six acknowledgement lights wink green.

I turn around and walk towards the rest of Shadow Team and signal them to open the tube. It hisses open revealing a plethora of weapons and ammunition within its contents. "Remember, silenced weapons only, so that means M7s and M6 SOCOMS for this op. Nobody knows we're here, that understood?" All six nod in confirmation. "Good." I turn to the duo, "Except you two. I want you to each take an SR-99 and set up an overwatch position overlooking the entrance to Chora's Den. I don't want anything to flank us if we need to go in." I turn to the rest. "You four on me, we're setting up on a rooftop near the target. Everyone copy?" More nods. "Alright, arm up and grab some ammo. Dunn torch that thing when everyone's good." I grabbed my two M7S's and holster an automag onto my hip. I grab several dozen magazines and store them in my armor's storage compartment. Once all the members of my team were loaded up, Dunn placed several thermite charges along the locker and kicked it off the hull of the Citadel. Several sparks showered from the locker and drifted off into space, slowly becoming indiscernible globs of molten metal.

I turn back towards the team and nod. One by one, our armor dissolves into the background. Seven invisible figures walked to the edge of the arm, and one by one we climbed into the ship's artificial gravity field. We quickly disperse, moving silently and leaving the station's occupants none the wiser to our presence. And the day was just getting started.

* * *

**_CODEX_**

Orbital Reentry Pods (Upgraded)

Designed for stealth insertions by the UNSC, but largely used for shock and awe tactics on the battlefield, the flaming reentry of a drop pod is a significant psychological tool for both increasing morale amongst friendly troops and disheartening enemies that know what they contain. Similar in design and function as the standard UNSC pod, the Shadow of Hope's crew has made some necessary adjustments to its design. The pod now has hardlight barrier emitters along its hull to prevent a fatal burn upon reentry. An unintended consequence is that these pods can now be recovered and be reused due to the barrier taking the brunt of the heat and impact damage. An additional feature is a beacon to facilitate quick recovery using the ship's translocation system and denying advanced technology to unintended parties. In the event that quick extraction of personnel is required and pods cannot be recovered, a fail safe in the pod's reactor may be activated remotely or manually to unleash a 10 kiloton nuclear explosion to deny the enemy further assets in technology. It should be noted that this failsafe is a last resort and not a part of the official doctrine of Shadow Team, however each member is briefed on the ins and outs of operating the reactor's fail safes in case of unforeseen circumstances. This knowledge is restricted to the members of Shadow Team as the design and use of the pods alone would cause Shadow to be disavowed by the Citadel races. Further disclosure on the pod reactor's workings are classified.

* * *

_A/N_

_Well I said that I would post the chapter of Eden Prime and the Citadel together, but… I was at 16k words and I haven't even finished the meeting with Saren yet. Don't worry, it won't play out anything like the game, except for some of the dialogue, as I think it fit in with the story I wanted to tell._

_Expect Ghost and Shadow Team to do some badass infiltrating of the Citadel next chapter, if you already haven't figured it out. I may have gone into too much detail this chapter, but I hope you still enjoy it Expect more of Shadow Team as the story goes on, as they will play a pivotal role in influencing the galaxy as Ghost works on the Normandy. Their loadouts will change based on the mission, but as for Ghost and his weapons… I haven't decided yet, as I haven't gotten that far in the chapter._

_As for the chapter's events, I didn't save Nihlus because Ghost only had an SMG and a pistol with him, but also because I couldn't think of how to characterize him properly, and make the story coherent. Also, I've already got a ton of characters to differentiate, so having more might make me explode. And in all honesty, I just felt that he and Jenkins were there to facilitate the story, but that's just _

_Leave your thoughts, cause I love to hear them. _


	9. The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday

Chapter 8 – The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday

* * *

_Aboard the Normandy – Mess Hall_

_Lieutenant Commander Amelia Shepard_

_XO of the Normandy_

* * *

Amelia groaned and sat nursing a monumental headache and a cup of the most mediocre coffee she had ever had the displeasure of drinking. Unfortunately her headache required her some much needed caffeine to even be functioning. After explaining what had happened down on the ground and the contents of the vision the beacon gave her to Anderson she was extremely drained, but thankfully Ghost had explained most of what happened in the battle to her surrogate uncle and mentor. He had said that Ghost's appearance had surprised him, but, like her, it was a welcome one with all the chaos on Eden Prime.

She had then ordered Joker to set a course for the Citadel as Anderson had asked of her. He said it would be around two hours until they made it there.

As she closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose to will away the mental exhaustion, she failed to notice two individuals standing in front of her across the table. It wasn't until one of them coughed that she noticed her presence. Slightly startled from the interruption she turned her gaze from the table upwards and was greeted with the sight of Williams and Alenko.

"Commander, the two of us were wondering if we could join you."

She held out her hand to the seats in front of her, "Be my guest, I won't bite. Much." She said with a mischievous grin on her face. As she noticed their apprehension she waved it off. "Relax, just a bad joke." The two marines sat down. "So, Williams, Alenko, what can I do you for?"

"We just wanted to chat ma'am."

"Sure as long as it isn't anything too personal, I can oblige."

The two of them turned to look at each other before Alenko began speaking. "Ma'am we were wondering how you knew that Ghost person, we've never heard of an alliance unit like what we saw back there."

"That's because Ghost and his unit aren't Alliance."

"Then who do they work for? The Shadow Broker? The tech they had was a little high end for a merc group."

"As far as I know, he doesn't work for anyone, at least that is what intel concluded from his pattern of activities before he disappeared."

"Activities?" Williams asked.

"You two know about my service record, correct? Elysium and Torfan?" They both nodded. "Well, what the Alliance never officially said was that we had help in both of them. And that help was Ghost."

"How did he help Commander?"

By now a group of the ship's crew including Engineer Adams, Navigator Pressley and Doctor Chakwas had gathered, silently listening to the conversation. "On Elysium, the leader of that slaver raid was a human pirate, Elanos Haliat. He had a command post about 3 kilometers away from the edge of the city."

Navigator Pressley spoke up, "He was killed during the invasion right?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't us that got to him, it was Ghost. Got him and his staff in his command post with sniper fire."

"I don't remember there being very many hills in the area around Illyria." Pressley continued.

"That's because he didn't, he used a building in the city that was 4 kilometers away from Haliat's CP. He shot through their prefab and then took out all the cargo freighters' thrusters so they couldn't take the slaves."

Adams whistled, "That must have been some rifle. Freighters are built to take a beating."

She nodded, "The inside of Haliat's prefab wasn't too pretty, a lot of the investigators had to leave the room. Lots of pulped bodies and pulverized bone on the floor and walls."

"I take it the slavers decided to kill the captives and cut their losses then, since they couldn't take any of them."

Shepard shook her head. "No actually, some of them ran off."

"Some?"

"Ghost killed the others. Infiltrated the camp, and started massacring them. Whoever wasn't dead or dying fled in the remaining ships on the ground."

"Why would they get scared of one man?"

"He didn't just shoot them, he sliced off their limbs, and cut off chunks of their heads and faces. Add in his stealth tech and anyone but the most hardened criminals would be shaken. Can't shoot what you can't see after all."

"Damn, glad he's on our side." Williams chimed in. The rest of them nodded.

Alenko pushed the conversation to continue, "What about Torfan? Far as I've heard, that was an Alliance op."

"I remember things got messy down there after we established a foothold." Pressley said.

"It was messy, but it could have been a lot worse. What most people don't know other than a few officers and N7's is that we had some help before the Alliance went in."

"Ghost then, what exactly did he do?" Williams inquired.

"He sabotaged their power systems and rigged half of their fleet to blow up in orbit. He also blew up all the watch towers and above ground facilities so that the ground teams would establish a foothold."

"They never discovered the sabotage or him?" Alenko said.

Shepard shook her head, "His suit's stealth tech is beyond anything we could come up with, thermals and motion trackers could get whispers, but nothing that stood out from the background noise."

"Then how did he get to the moon? Did he stow away on a pirate vessel?"

"No, he used his ship."

"How? All those ships in orbit would have picked up a ship coming their way. The Normandy is the only stealth vessel in existence." Pressley said.

"That's not entirely true…"

"He has a stealth ship too?" Alenko exclaimed.

"In a way, yes, but it's a little… different"

"Different?" Adams asked.

"His ship, well, it has the same stealth tech as the Normandy, though it seems to operate indefinitely with its systems on." Incredulous looks crossed their features. "That's not the only thing though. The Alliance was sending along a team of Ns to set up before the invasion started, and I was among them. We were on the Cape Town, waiting to rendezvous with his ship. It was a few minutes past the time for the rendezvous and we were wondering if the ship was a no show as we waited in the hangar bay. Then, out of nowhere, the ship materializes out of thin air, halfway inside the hangar bay."

Adams whistled. "Ship must be an impressive piece of engineering. What was the inside of the ship and its systems like?"

"Don't know. We were confined to a single room, so the ins and outs are still a mystery to us."

Williams chose this time to come in, "Couldn't the Alliance have taken his ship after the operation?"

Shepard frowned, "We could have, yes, but we were indebted to him after the operation."

"How?"

"The batarian commander turned some of the child slaves into IEDs, we lost 52 people and 30 were wounded from the attack. A lot of them were minutes away from bleeding out. Then Ghost brought in stasis pods from his ship somehow, and then after the operation took them all back to Arcturus for treatment personally."

"How many made it Commander?" Chakwas spoke.

"Fifteen, but that was fifteen more than if we had tried to evac them ourselves. All thirty of them were filled with shrapnel, and most lost a limb or two. Thankfully the Alliance had come up with advanced cloning technology, so they didn't have to be rehabbed with prosthetics. I think Ghost gave that tech to us, but I'm not too sure, since Hackett never released the proprietor. Said it was a 'philanthropic donation.'" She said with finger quotes. "Then, he disappeared for five years and turned up on Eden Prime."

"But how do the two of you know each other though?" Alenko pursued.

She shrugged, "I was on the three man team that helped him take down the command center. The op was my qualification for N7."

"Then how come you were on a big operation like Torfan for your N7 qual?" Williams asked.

"He asked for me personally, said he wanted to 'see if the Lioness was all hype.'"

"I take it he was impressed then."

She rubbed her neck sheepishly, "Yeah, you could say that. But in all honesty, I think he could have taken the base by himself. Looking back, I can't shake the feeling that he went to the Alliance just to size me up. Though I can't seem to place why I feel that way."

Alenko put forth his thoughts, "Might have just been impressed with your work."

"I guess." She shrugged.

Pressley wondered aloud, "So where is this Ghost now? You'd think he would be coming to our aid if the Geth are attacking human colonies." Heads were nodding around the room.

"Anderson told me that he went to the Citadel ahead of us. Said he'd find some evidence to help bring down Saren."

"What could be on the Citadel?" Williams asked.

"I have no idea."

* * *

_Citadel – Lower Wards – Chora's Den_

_Christopher "Mac" Zheng_

_Shadow Team Commander_

* * *

_"Overwatch to Shadow Actual, we've just spotted a quarian female entering Chora's Den."_

I acknowledge her, "Roger that Overwatch, Shadow copies. Maintain position and designate all bogies. We've got potential friendlies on their way."

"_Roger that Shadow Actual, good hunting." _The comm died shortly afterwards.

I connect with Worm on the ship, "Alright Worm, are you tapped into the club's power grid?"

_"All connections are green, the hardpoint you set up in the alley gave me a backdoor route into the power systems. Just give the word and the place will be darker than a black hole."_

"Alright, contact Detective Vakarian once the HVT is secure. What's the ETA on the Normandy?"

_"A little less than an hour, so get moving. The Shadow Broker has already placed a bounty on Fist."_

_Damn it, I was hoping to avoid meeting Wrex in the club. _"Alright, we're on the move, get ready to turn out the lights."

"_Understood, surveillance footage and Fist's finances show eight human thugs and a Krogan bouncer as hostiles. There are a lot of patrons and dancers in there so watch your fire. I'll send a high intensity burst and tag them once you're at the door."_

"Roger that, Shadow is on the move."

I turn to the four other members of my team, "Engage camouflage and stack up on the door, precision headshots and short bursts only, I want no collateral damage. Promethean Vision on once we hit the entrance. Targets will be tagged in your HUD. Everyone copy?" They all nod, "Alright, rally up on me."

Five black figures disappeared from view as they jumped down from the rooftop over Chora's den. I engage my thrusters and land softly on the deck, leaving a soft thud that went unheard to the club's inhabitants. My HUD paints the outlines of four invisible beings in green as I stand at the edge of the door and see them come up behind me one at a time. I activate my comm, "Worm, hit it." The deep bass and obnoxious dance music inside cuts out as well as the lit, provocative caricature of an asari above us, leaving nothing but shouts of surprise coming from inside the club. A wall of high frequency orange radiation moves through the area and into the club, startled cries accompanying it. I turn on the Promethean sensors on my helmet and my vision was bathed in blue light. Beyond the wall there were several figures in green and nine in red. Four humans in the bar, four in the back and the krogan in front of the door.

I draw one of my weapons and turn to my team. "Dunn, Lin, on me. We're kicking down this door." I center myself on the door and am quickly flanked by the two larger members of the team. We raise our knees to our chests in preparation for the breach. "On three, we kick this door. One-Two-THREE!" At the signal, three high powered kicks slammed into the door, buckling it in the middle and sending it crashing into the krogan bouncer. Jones and Riley storm into the room, followed closely by myself, Dunn and Lin. The four confused hostile thugs had not activated their kinetic barriers and the krogan lay pinned underneath the door and five invisible armored figures. _Piece of cake._

"Weapons free." Four short bursts erupted from the suppressed M7s and obliterated the heads of four thugs. I kneel down and activate both energy blades and insert them into the head of the groaning krogan and eviscerate his skull. The smell of blood and flash boiled grey matter fills the room.

Before the confused occupants could realize what had happened, we silently moved to the door to the backroom, where four thugs were arming up. Instead of kicking the door, I set a breaching charge on the entrance. I stand on the right edge of the door frame and the rest of the team stacks up. I tap the thigh of Lin behind me and wait for the signal. Shortly afterwards, he taps on my left shoulder with his fist and I set off the charge. Several screams are heard behind me as I and my team flow into the room and weave around the crates, homing in on our prey. The four half-armored thugs turn towards the disturbance, slightly disoriented from the loud noise in the small enclosed space, further confused from the darkness and lack of movement for their eyes to lock onto. I level my weapon at the nearest thug and leave a pink mist on the wall behind him, his friends follow him shortly. I look into the room beyond and see the outline of Fist and Tali standing confused in the darkness, but separated by a desk.

"HVT is in the next room with a hostile. Breach and clear. Watch your shots and avoid hitting the HVT at all costs." Four green acknowledgement lights wink on in my HUD. I place another kicker charge on the door and move to the door's edge. Knowing that my team is ready, I forgo the tap and blow the charge. I glide into the room and enter Spartan Time, as Fist reacts slowly to the explosion. Instead of taking him out, I reach Tali and tackle her to the ground. I hear a distorted, feminine "Eep!" from her as we hit the floor. Four short bursts hit the human club owner shortly afterward. His bullet riddled body hits the floor, slowly collecting a pool of blood beneath it. A resounding "Clear!" fills the room.

"Worm, reactivate the power and call Vakarian and tell him to meet us at the RV point. The HVT is secure." I pick myself up and drag Tali up to her feet and hold her steady until she has gathered herself. "Team, disengage camouflage." The lights turn on before our armors' systems reacted, startling the young quarian in front of me. "Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya are you okay?" Several screams and shouts of surprise are heard from the club. I turn off the Promethean sensors on my HUD.

Warily she answers me, "Yes I'm fine, who or what are you?"

"We're human and all you need to know is that we're with the Alliance." Before she could ask another question I continue. "Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker, he works for Saren now.

She turned to Fist's dead body, anger wracking her frame. "That bosh'tet! He was going to set me up!" I nod in affirmation. She calms down and asks me, "But why did you come here?"

"We're here for the information you have on Saren Arterius and his involvement with the Geth. A hearing for removing his SpecTRe status will be underway shortly and we need your help. Will you come with us? We'll protect you." She wrings her hands in a sign of nervousness before reluctantly nodding. My comm comes to life before I can direct my squad.

_"Shadow actual, this is Overwatch, we've got a large red plated Krogan making his way towards the club. Permission to engage?"_

"Negative, he's a friendly. Hold your fire."

_"Sir?" _

"You heard me, now watch for more targets."

_"Yes sir. Overwatch out." _

"Shadow, we hold position and wait for a friendly to come to us. Hold your fire and appear non-threatening. It's a Krogan." The other four reluctantly nod and lower their weapon. However they form a semicircle around the room to put the door entrance in a crossfire, should it be needed. _Hopefully that won't be necessary._

After a few short moments a large red plated Krogan lumbers into view, shotgun raised and a look of bewilderment crossing his features. "Urdnot Wrex?"

"Yeah, who's asking?"

"Name's Ghost. Fist is dead and I'd like to ask for your help in putting down a SpecTRe. A Turian SpecTRe."

"This Turian got a name?" He eyed the six of us warily, briefly lingering on Fist's body and Tali.

"Saren Arterius." A grin crosses his face and he lowers his gun.

"So, you're looking for a fight. Alright, I'm in. You already took care of my contract anyway. I'll pass you on the credits." He moved to his omni tool.

I hold up my hand to stop him, "Keep it, we don't need the credits."

He shakes his head, "No, I didn't kill him, so it's your bounty. I won't take credit for someone else's work, so you're taking it, end of story."

I sigh and hold out my right hand and 100k credits get dumped into my account. _Not like I'll ever use this stuff anyways. _"Overwatch, any movement outside?"

_"Negative Shadow Actual, there's nothing on my scope. You're clear to move." _

"Understood Overwatch, once we're in the clear, reposition to the Presidium and get eyes on the entrance to the embassies and the citadel tower."

_"Roger that, Overwatch out."_

I turn to the team, "Activate cloak and go into a defensive screen around the HVT. Nobody get in close and nobody sees you, is that clear." They all nod. "Good, move out." The four disappear into the background, but are still highlighted in green on my HUD. I turn to the two aliens. "Wrex, Tali, you're with me. I assume you know how to use that." I say, indicating the shotgun strapped to her back. She nods and draws it out. "Good. Wrex I need you bringing up the rear while I lead with Tali in the middle."

"Whatever you say, I just want to shoot something." I nod and proceed to lead the two out. The four members of Shadow move silently amongst the crowd, weapons ready to engage anyone who showed malice. I hold both of my M7s and scan the crowd as well. The walk out earns us nothing but stares from the club's attendees and we walk out the door onto the balcony leading to the lower markets.

As we round the corner, ten thugs exit from the markets and turn towards the three of us. Before they could open fire, eight booming shots ring out from above and eviscerate eight skulls and pulverize the torsos of the other two. _"Overwatch to Shadow Actual, you're all clear. Proceeding to next checkpoint."_

"Roger that, appreciate the assist."

"Hmm, that was some good shooting. I think I'm starting to like you humans."

I ignore him and turn towards the alley that Fist would have sent Tali to her death. Two green silhouettes, who I recognize as Jones and Riley, move ahead of the group and pass by a Turian in C-Sec armor. All four of the squad guard the two entrances of the alley in pairs. Green acknowledgement lights flash, indicating the RV point is now secure. The Turian notices us and walks forward to meet us halfway.

As we near, I extend my hand in greeting. "Detective Vakarian?"

A familiar, and welcome flanging voice greets me in return. "Yes, but call me Garrus, Detective Vakarian is my father." He paused and looked between the three of us, slightly confused. _Don't blame him, we could be the set up to a bad bar joke. _"I was told you had some information for me? I need this to be quick."

I nod, "The quarian female here, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya has information that can indict Saren on high crimes and treason against the Citadel Council. I also have video evidence to support it."

His mandibles spread in shock then a turian grin. "Well, you just became my new favorite person,… er, what was your name?"

"Ghost is fine. Now let's move, I'm sure the human embassy would be grateful for this information."

Before we head out, Worm comes up on a vid feed on my HUD. _"Mac, the Normandy docked ten minutes ago, but that damn slimeball Udina jumped the gun and asked for a meeting with the Council immediately. You've got twenty minutes before that meeting starts, get moving!"_

"Alright change of plans, we're headed to the Citadel Tower, the ambassador jumped the gun. Garrus, I hope you're dialed in and ready for a fight if we need to." He nods and pulls out a sniper rifle from his back. "Shadow decloak and form a screen. Diamond formation. Garrus stay in the middle with Tali, and Wrex you stay in the rear and watch our backs. I'll take point." Four armored beings appeared at the ends of the hall. It ended up briefly startling the turian, but he recovered from his stupor soon enough.

We make our way towards the rapid transit terminal near Dr. Michel's clinic, drawing a few stares our way. Before I call up a vehicle I turn to Tali. "Were you treated at this clinic for that gunshot wound in your arm?"

"Yes, but how did you-"

"Lots of experience, and how you were favoring that arm while carrying your weapon. Not too difficult." I turn to my squad. "Dunn, Lin, stay here and watch over the clinic. Make sure Saren's thugs don't come here to silence the good doctor." The two nod and activate their camouflage, leaving the six of us at the terminal. I call up a van to house all six of us. The van appears quickly and the ride to the Presidium occurs unhindered. _Apparently Saren doesn't know we've got the evidence, yet. _I grin underneath my helmet. _This is going to be fun._ I am interrupted from my reverie by a turian, a quarian and a krogan, another bad bar joke.

"Ghost, I've never seen armor suits like yours, the tech seems fairly advanced." Tali stated.

Garrus chimed in as well, "I've never seen weapons like yours either, they don't look lie regular mass drivers."

"The way your team fights isn't like regular mercs, and your armor isn't in that ugly Alliance blue." Jones and Riley tense up slightly, but only I notice it. "You're professionals and damn good ones if Chora's den is any indication. Never heard of you though."

I address each of them, "The armor is likely the most advanced piece of armor on this station, and the weapons aren't mass accelerators, they're gunpowder weapons." Garrus's mandibles twitch in surprise and Tali continues to stare at the three of us in the van. "As for you not hearing about us Wrex, then that means we're good at our jobs. We make it a point not to be known."

"Shadow Broker?"

"No, Wrex."

"Hmmph, well you've got to work for someone. Terminus Warlord? Alliance? Volus banker? Hanar priest?"

"I and my team work for nobody, and we don't get paid for what we do."

Wrex laughs, "Hahaha, that's a good one. Then explain how you have those fancy suits of armor, and ammunition for those pea shooters."

"They were made. In house." Before the three of them could continue the van came to a stop. "I can answer your questions later. Right now we need to head to the Citadel Tower." They nod, though still curious about me and my team. The six of us step out of the vehicle and make our way to the Citadel Tower's elevator. My comm comes to life moments later.

"_Overwatch to Shadow Actual, your path is clear. I see no hostiles on an intercept course."_

"Understood Overwatch, maintain position until we're in the elevator."

The short walk to the elevator goes uninterrupted, and we all pile into the elevator. _Damn thing is crowded._

"Ugh, watch where you point those talons, Turian."

"If you weren't so big, this wouldn't be a problem."

"Could both of you stop moving, you're going to give me a suit rupture."

I groan and palm my face. _Hard to believe these three are going to help save the galaxy._

* * *

_Council Chambers_

_Lt. Commander Amelia Shepard_

_N7-XO of the Normandy – SpecTRe candidate_

* * *

Shepard walked up to the podium where Udina and the Council were in the middle of Saren's hearing. Alenko and Williams waited at the bottom of the stairs as she made her way up. Anderson greeted her as she made her way up, "The hearing's already started. Come on."

"What about Ghost and his evidence?"

"We haven't received any contact from him yet, Udina couldn't wait." Anderson replied with a deep frown. _That incompetent moron. How are we supposed to charge him with a single testimony and no evidence? _Frustrated at Udina, she made her way up the stairs, where the hearing was already in full swing.

"The geth attack is a matter of some concern. But there is nothing to indicate Saren was involved in any way." Tevos said.

Sparatus continued, "The investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason."

Udina angrily replied, "An eye witness saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood!"

Valern chose to refute the claim, "We have read the Eden Prime reports, Ambassador. The testimony of one traumatized dock worker is hardly compelling proof."

Saren's hologram chose now to respond, "I resent these accusations! Nihlus was a fellow SpecTRe and a friend!"

Anderson interceded, "That just let you catch him off guard!"

"Ah, Captain Anderson. You always seem to be involved when humanity makes false charges against me." He paused and turned towards her. "And this must be your protégé, Commander Shepard. The one who let the beacon get destroyed."

"The mission to Eden Prime was top secret. You would only know about the beacon if you were there yourself!"

"With Nihlus dead, his files were passed onto me. I read the Eden Prime report. I was unimpressed." He turned towards the Council. "But what can you expect from a human?"

"Saren hates humanity. That's why he attacked Eden Prime!"

"Your species needs to learn its place, Shepard. You're not ready to join the Council. You're not even ready to join the SpecTRes."

Udina spoke, outraged, "He has no right to say that! That's not his decision!" _Ugh, way to keep your cool Udina._

Tevos placated the ambassador, "Shepard's admission into the SpecTRes is not the purpose to this hearing."

"This meeting has no purpose, Councilor. The humans are wasting your time. And mine."

"You can't hide behind the Council forever, coward!"

Anderson began speaking, hoping to buy time for Ghost and his evidence, "There is still one outstanding issue: Commander Shepard's vision. It may have been triggered by the beacon."

"Are we allowing dreams into evidence now? How can I defend my innocence against this kind of testimony?"

Sparatus nodded in affirmation, "I agree. Our judgement must be based on facts and evidence, not wild imaginings and reckless speculation."

Valern turned to her, "Do you have anything else to add, Commander Shepard?"

_Ghost where are you? _She shook her head and looked at the floor in disgust, "You've made your decision, I won't waste my breath."

The three Councilors looked at each other, shaking their heads. "The Council has found no eviden-"

"I wouldn't be so hasty Councilor Tevos." A familiar voice came from behind her. She turned towards the speaker with a smile, only to look confused at the odd assortment before her. A turian, a quarian, a krogan and three heavily armed humans. _Sounds like the beginnings of a bad joke. _

"And who might you be?" Sparatus asked.

"My name is not important. The evidence that I have of Saren's betrayal is."

"What is this evidence you speak of?" Valern questioned.

The quarian and Ghost strode up towards the podium, mild disgust arrayed on Udina's features and outright xenophobic hatred from Saren's projection. "We have an audio recording, detailing Saren's intention to attack Eden Prime and secure the beacon for himself. Miss Tali'Zorah nar Rayya came across this information by extracting data from the memory core of an isolated geth trooper." The quarian appeared to look quizzically at him.

"Don't geth platforms destroy their information? I've never heard of such a thing." Valern mused, intrigued.

Quickly snapping out of her stupor, she replied with confidence and pride. "My people created the geth. If you're quick, careful and lucky small caches of data can sometimes be saved. Most of the core was wiped clean, but I salvaged something from its audio banks."

An audio recording began playing from her omni tool, a voice that sounded convincingly of a certain turian. "_Eden Prime was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit." _A second, more feminine, voice followed immediately afterwards. _"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers."_

The Council Chambers stood deathly silent at the new evidence before them. Saren looked visibly angered. Sparatus was the first to recover. "Saren, what do you have to say for yourself."

"The recording could easily be falsified. I wouldn't expect anything less from a damnable suit rat." He spat.

Slightly reassured, Sparatus turned to the podium, "Until we can confirm the authenticity of the recording, Saren's SpecTRe status will be on probation until such time that we-"

A menacing chuckle interrupted the Turian Councilor, and sent shivers down her spine. She turned towards the source, Ghost, as he visibly shook in amusement. Annoyed, Sparatus turned towards him. "Do you find something funny, human?"

"I suspected you would say that, so I gathered more evidence to bury this barefaced traitor." Ghost's tone was laced with venom, and Saren's mandibles flared in anger as he glared directly at him. He turned to his two squadmates who strode forward and removed four disk shaped items from their belts and placed them on the ground at the bottom of the stairs. Shortly afterward, a holographic projection, that she recognized as the location of Nihlus's body came into view.

A turian who looked undoubtedly like Saren came into the picture, accompanied by a Geth trooper. He made a directing gesture towards an area off screen and the platform followed his orders, out of view.

The whole room stood silent, shocked at the clear evidence of Saren's betrayal in front of them. However, the recording was not yet finished as an armored turian with white clan markings came into view, taking cover behind a stack of crates. His guard lowered as he sighted the lone turian and approached in a friendly manner. The two turians strode past each other, facing away, and then Saren aimed his pistol at the back of Nihlus's head. The video recording cut out shortly afterwards.

Outraged, Sparatus turned towards the disgraced SpecTRe. "Saren! What do you have to say for yourself!"

He leered at Ghost, "This isn't over human. Your race will get what's coming to you. I'll make sure of it." His hologram cut out shortly afterwards.

The Council Chambers was deathly quiet, its occupants ruminating over the shocking turn of recent events. Shaking his head, Sparatus called out to the room, "The… evidence… is irrefutable. Saren will be stripped of his SpecTRe status and all efforts will be made to bring him in to answer for his crimes."

"I recognize the other voice on the recording. Matriarch Benezia, a powerful leader among my people. She will make a formidable ally to Saren and a more formidable foe to anyone else she deems necessary."

Valern changed the direction of the conversation, "I'm more interested in these Reapers Tali'Zorah. What do you know of them?"

"According to the information from the geth's memory core, they were an advanced race of sentient machines that destroyed the Protheans 50,000 years ago. I couldn't get much else from it before it wiped itself."

"Do we know what happened to them? And what of this conduit?"

"They vanished after wiping out the Protheans, and the conduit is said to bring them back to the galaxy, to finish what they started. The geth revere them as gods, and Saren is their prophet."

"Do we know what the Conduit is?"

Tali looked downtrodden and answered, "No, there wasn't anything detailing what it was."

Amelia chose this time to speak up, "The vision I had, it all makes sense now. The Protheans, they were being annihilated by synthetics. We can't let Saren bring them back!"

"Listen to yourself, Shepard. A race of highly advanced machines that wiped out all life in the galaxy. That's impossible, it has to be. Where did the Reapers go? Why did they vanish? How come we've found no trace of their existence? We'd have found something!"

"I warned you about Saren and you refused to face the truth. Don't make that mistake again."

"This is different. Your friend proved that Saren had betrayed the Council. We all agree he's using the Geth to search for the Conduit, but we don't know why he is."

"The Reapers are obviously just a myth Commander. A convenient lie to cover his true purpose. A legend he is using to bend the Geth to his will."

Ghost spoke up from beside her, "Councilors, don't let the lack of evidence leave you short-sighted. There is danger in ignorance."

"Ah yes, human, I should thank you for bringing in this evidence, but tell me, why did you not stop the murder of SpecTRe Kyrik?"

"None of my weapons had the power or accuracy to subdue Saren and save Kyrik. I chose to gather evidence instead of needlessly exposing my position in hostile territory. Something I'd expect a former member of the Turian Blackwatch to appreciate."

Sparatus nodded approvingly, "Hmm, it appears not all humans are rash and prone to violence. I guess Tevos was correct."

"Tell me, what is your name? Though I believe I may know the answer to that question already."

"Name's Ghost, Councilor Valern, which I assume you gathered from my armor."

"Hmmm, most intriguing. I take it your team was the one that aided the Commander in saving Eden Prime."

He nodded. "Yes Councilor, that is correct, my ship was in the area, and my team was in a position for help, but Councilors, Saren is an even greater concern than my identity. He is a clear threat to the Citadel, you need to take action."

Sparatus spoke, "Saren is rogue agent on the run for his life. He no longer has the rights or resources of a SpecTRe. The Council has stripped him of his position."

Udina, again, bellowed out in anger. "That is not good enough! You know he's somewhere in the Traverse! Send your fleet in!" _This guy is humanity's representative? No wonder people hate us._

"A fleet cannot track down one man, ambassador."

"A Citadel fleet could secure the entire region. Keep the geth from attacking anymore of our colonies and killing innocents." Udina replied, slightly crestfallen.

"Or it could trigger a war with the Terminus Systems. We won't be dragged into a war over a few human colonies."

"Councilors, if I may offer a suggestion." The three turned towards Ghost. "Commander Shepard has already been selected as a SpecTRe candidate, and her actions helped save the colony of Eden Prime and the loss of the beacon can obviously be attributed to Saren's actions. She also ordered me to head to the Citadel and gather intelligence on Saren to convict him. Were it not for a certain man's impatience and utter incompetence." He turned towards Udina. "The farce occurring before I arrived wouldn't have occurred and the hearing would have been much smoother. She has proven herself to be a capable warrior and one with foresight. Sending her after Saren as a SpecTRe would solve everyone's problems."

Slightly shocked Amelia stared at Ghost. _I never told you to go to the Citadel! Ghost I can't let you do this! _"Councilors if I may also add." They now turned towards her. "Ghost and his team were instrumental in my success. I couldn't have done it without him. I would like to recommend him to be inducted as well, as my partner." He turned towards her.

Tevos chose to speak then, "The two of them are right, there is a way to stop Saren that doesn't require fleets or armies."

"NO! Humanity is not ready for the responsibilities that come with joining the SpecTRes, let alone having two of them!"

"Not two, Councilors, only one." Everyone turned towards him, incredulous, even his two teammates. "I never asked or sought the position as a SpecTRe, nor do I want it. Shepard will be the only one inducted into the SpecTRes today. I refuse."

Amelia stood shocked and was about to talk reason to her friend, but Valern cut her off before she could. "May I ask why you would refuse such an honor?" Sparatus and Tevos looked stunned, unable to speak at the outright rejection of the offer, before it was even made.

"My reasons are my own, and my presence here is only to help a friend in need of my help. Otherwise, you would have never seen or heard me, if it was my decision. Fortunately, Shepard is as charismatic as she is lethal." Amelia blushed at the overt praise and averted her eyes from the man. _You…why?_

"Unfortunate, but I respect your wishes. You are of a rare and noble breed Ghost. I look forward to hearing of your exploits in the future."

Tevos and Sparatus snapped out of their stupor and turned towards each other. They nodded and Sparatus locked his eyes onto her. Tevos began speaking, "Commander Shepard, step forward."

She reluctantly stepped forward, taking a glance towards her enigmatic friend. He nodded to her and stepped back to make room for her. Udina got out of the way as well, looking pleased at the new turn of events. A crowd began gathering on the overhead railings, witnessing history in the making.

Tevos continued on, "It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel."

Valern continued the induction and crossed his arms, "SpecTRes are not trained, but chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle; those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file."

Tevos then returned to speaking, "SpecTRes are an ideal, a symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instruments of our will."

Sparatus then took up the induction. "SpecTRes bear a great burden. They are the protectors of the galaxy, our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold."

Tevos returned as the speaker, "You are the first Human SpecTRe Commander. This is a great accomplishment for you and your entire species."

"I'm honored Councilors." She then received her orders on where she would be sent after Saren and the details of her assignment. The Council soon turned to leave and the diverse bunch of individuals went back down the stairs to the main floor.

Anderson turned towards her and she stuck out her hand. He ignored it and went straight for a bear hug, catching her slightly off guard. She gratefully returned the gesture of affection. "Congratulations, Amelia. You did good."

Udina then began speaking, obviously plotting something, much to her chagrin. "We've got a lot of work to do Commander. You're going to need a ship, a crew, and supplies.,," He turned towards Anderson. "Anderson come with me, I'll need your help to set all this up." Udina then began walking away from the group.

Anderson stayed behind, an apologetic look on his face. "I'll talk to you later Amelia, duty calls." She nodded as her mentor strode away towards the waiting ambassador.

She turned towards the eight individuals behind her, but seeking out one person in particular with a blue helmet. "What were you thinking! I never told you to come to the Citadel! Now nobody will ever know what you did!" Seeing the confrontation the group gave the two their space. Ghost sighed.

"Shepard, I don't do this for the publicity, and becoming a SpecTRe would only make my job harder. Being unknown and anonymous is better for me and the people I help."

"But why? Why go out of your way and help me like this? I've never done anything this big for you!"

He shrugged, "I help my friends Shepard, and I didn't want anything in return for my help. I just wanted to do it. Is that good enough?"

She sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, exasperated at Ghost's frustrating antic, no matter how noble their intention. "Yeah, I guess. I just wish you hadn't refused my offer so easily." She paused, an idea forming in her head. "You know, going after Saren is going to get pretty messy. I don't suppose I could get you to join me? As a favor?"

Ghost tapped his chin, "Hmm let me check something first." He turned towards the group. "Mother, Whisper, think you could handle missions on your own without my help?"

"Sir?" They both asked quizzically.

"The Commander wants my help and there are more missions I have planned for Shadow Team. Seeing as I can't be in two places at once, I figured I could entrust the team's operations to you two and Worm. What do you say?"

They paused and glanced at each other briefly, before nodding, the one on the left, a woman spoke up. "We can handle it sir, but it will be… different without you there to help us."

"I'll still keep in contact and keep tabs on your progress. I'll even throw a mission or two your way, so don't think you've gotten rid of me yet."

"Wouldn't dream of it sir."

"Alright, dismissed, I'll meet you all back on the ship when I get my things." The two dissolved into the background, leaving Amelia and Ghost to themselves. He turned towards her, "So what's next on the agenda?"

"Well, I have to wait until they get me a ship, and a crew, so I guess roam around the Citadel?"

"I've got three potential recruits for the mission, if you're interested?"

"Who?" He pointed behind him towards the group of five individuals of assorted species. She thought for a moment then shrugged, "Sure, why not. Just let me hear their reasons for joining first."

He nodded then called out towards the group, "Wrex, Tali, Garrus, the Commander wants to see you." The three aliens made their way towards the pair as well as the two human marines, eying the group curiously. "Shepard this is Urdnot Wrex, Krogan bounty hunter and mercenary, Garrus Vakarian, C-Sec investigator, and Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Quarian Pilgrim and mechanic. I figure these three would want to join you in the hunt for Saren." Garrus and Tali nodded, while Wrex just grunted in response.

She turned to Wrex first, "So Wrex, what's your stake in all this, can't say I can pay you much for your services."

He shook his head, "Not in this for the money Shepard, I want to be where the fight is. You and Ghost are strong warriors and I figure the kind of brawls you get into will be exciting. There's a storm coming and the two of you and Saren are right in the middle of it."

She nodded "I can respect that, what about you Detective Vakarian?"

"It's Garrus, Detective Vakarian is my father. Saren is a disgrace to my people and I want to bring him in. C-Sec is too clogged up with bureaucracy and red tape for me to do any good. Figure working with a SpecTRe would get more done."

She frowned, but decided not to say anything, and save it for a more private talk. She turned towards the last alien of the group. "And you, Tali, what's your reasoning? Shouldn't you be on your pilgrimage? I know it's your path to adulthood, so it's pretty important."

"It is, and I'm surprised you knew about. But if Saren is as bad as you say he is,then how can I return to my people knowing I could have helped? I can always continue my pilgrimage later. Saren needs to be dealt with now!"

"How good are you in combat anyways, I heard Quarians can die from a simple suit rupture." Garrus jibed.

She turned towards him, "I have a shotgun." Garrus backed away slightly, with his hands raised in a placating manner. Wrex chuckled, and she thought she heard Ghost as well, but she couldn't tell for sure.

"Alright, good enough for me. Welcome to the team you three. Since I'm still waiting on a ship, you're free to wander around the Citadel yourselves or stick with me."

"I've got a few things to get from my ship, I'll meet you at the Human Embassy in two hours." She nodded at Ghost, slightly disappointed he wouldn't be around as he turned to leave.

Garrus was next to decline, "I need to grab some things from my apartment, I'll be at the Human Embassy in two hours as well."

Wrex followed up after, "Hmmph, I'll be at your ship when you want me. " He lumbered away after the two men.

"I think I'm going to go exploring on the Citadel, Shepard. I'll catch you later." Kaidan then turned to leave.

That left just Williams and Tali, "So I guess it's just us ladies then?"

"Actually Shepard, I was going to go look up anyone who survived from my unit. I'll see you at the Embassy in an hour or two."

Now it was just her and Tali, she sighed inwardly, "I take it you have something important to be doing?"

Tali shook her head, "No not really. I could find something if you, er, want to be alone."

She groaned, "No, please don't." She sighed. "Got any ideas to spend our time while we wait?"

"Well, I always wanted to look at the Omni-tools at the Presidi-."

"Alright let's go!" They moved to the rapid transit station to avoid using the dreadfully slow elevators

Out of the corner of her eye, Shepard noticed a familiar face off to the side as she neared the rapid transit station. She turned and walked towards him in greeting. "Admiral Kahoku!"

* * *

_Aboard the Shadow of Hope – Docked at the Citadel – Private Docking_

_Max "Worm" Hill_

* * *

"So are you sure you don't want to come with me? I could use your help."

Max shook his head, "Sorry Mac, I've grown attached to this place and I think it'll be good for you. Make some new friends instead of hanging out with a hologram and subordinates." Mac moved to interrupt him, but he cut him off. "Shadow Team only sees you as their superior, they'll never see you as a friend, no matter how much they like you." There was a pause, "Besides, I think Doc is warming up to me, I'll have her in my bed in no time." He gave a wink to his best friend.

Mac chuckled, "It'll be a cold day in hell, before that happens brother." He sighed, "It won't be the same without you, you know?"

"Yeah I do, believe me these past few years were fun, but we have things we need to do before the giant killer robots arrive. Besides, I wouldn't want to get in the way of you and Shepard's budding romance."

He turned to Max, incredulous. "Excuse me?"

"She has the hots for you man, plain and simple."

Mac just shook his head and returned to packing his weapons in a duffel.

"So, what weapons are you taking with you?"

"Just my regular covert loadout, an SR-99, a Spartan Laser and a M-45D shotgun. Don't really need anything special for this mission."

Max nodded, "I already had Hev link your storage compartment to the ammunition manufacturer, so you won't need to worry about resupply while you're out saving the galaxy."

Mac turned to him, hurt in his eyes. He donned his helmet and said a last word. "I'll miss you old friend."

"Me too brother, stay safe out there." With that the two nodded and Mac left the room, leaving Max alone in the armory. He refocused his presence back on the bridge where Vasquez was waiting for him.

"Are you sure, you don't want to leave? We could do just fine without you aboard."

"Didn't know you wanted to get rid of me so badly Doc." He said jokingly. Turning more somber, he continued, "But in all seriousness, Mac needs this, and my presence would only make him more introverted to the crew. He needs more friends Elena, and not some guy stuck in a damn computer."

"Max, he needs you, just like you need him, so don't say that." She said pleadingly.

Max sighed, "Yeah, you're right, thanks for that Elena."

She smiled, "Don't mention it, and for the record, you're more human than most people I've met that weren't stuck in a 'damn' computer."

Max smiled, "You're damn right, it just wouldn't be fair to them if I were organic. The ladies wouldn't be able to get enough of me!"

She chuckled, "Good to see you're back to your old self. I'll be in the lab if you need me." She turned and left the bridge. _Thanks Elena, for everything._

* * *

_A/N_

_So, shook things up a bit for Saren's hearing. Always thought going into the hearing without evidence was a little half-cocked. Also, if you couldn't tell, I really hate Udina. Actually, I hate politicians in general. _

_Also, lots of dialogue this chapter, could have had less or more, not too sure, just wanted to get the ball rolling._

_I wasn't sure if I got the characterization for the Normandy ground team right, so let me know if you spot any errors throughout the story. _

_Also, if you haven't guessed, Vasquez and Worm have gotten to be pretty good friends. Whether it turns romantic is up in the air. I'm not sure if I'll have Shepard and Mac be a couple in ME1 or ME2. I guarantee it'll be a slow relationship though. _

_Next chapter will either have Citadel adventures, Therum/Liara, or Shadow Team mission, or it might have all three. I've got no idea at this point. _

_Anyways, hope you enjoyed the read. _


	10. No Survivors

Chapter 9 – No Survivors

* * *

_Horsehead Nebula, Anadius System – Cronos Station, Cerberus HQ_

_Jack "The Illusive Man" Harper_

_Head of Paramilitary Rogue Alliance Intelligence Organization - Cerberus_

* * *

"Operative Rasa, could you repeat what you just said again? I'm not sure if I heard you correctly."

_"Sir, while we were able to obtain Fist's data on the Shadow Broker's network, we weren't able to bring him in as you requested. He was… killed before we could do anything."_

"That's what I thought you said." He took a drag on his cigarette and held it in before exhaling, ruminating over the new data and its consequences. "It's not a problem, Urdnot Wrex's elimination of Saren's defector is of no consequence to our plans. We have the data and our existence has not been brought to the Shadow Broker's attention yet. Overall, your mission was a success, excellent work."

"_Sir, there is another piece of information that you should know about. Urdnot Wrex wasn't the one who eliminated Fist."_

Harper raised his eyebrow, "Continue to elaborate Operative Rasa."

She nodded, "_Sir, do you remember my assignment to find and recruit Ghost six years ago?"_

He nodded, "As I recall you were unable to meet that objective. Unfortunately, there hasn't been any trace of him in five years." A realization dawned on him, "So I take it that he resurfaced and eliminated Fist?"

"_Yes sir, but that wasn't all he had done sir."_

_There's more to this? _He gestured for her to go on.

_"He also extracted a Quarian Migrant with information on Saren's involvement on Eden Prime and helped in his indictment."_

"Hmm, so he's the one who helped Shepard get her SpecTRe status. Is that all?"

_"He may not have done this himself sir, but my sources at the club weren't clear because they only remember seeing him with the Quarian and Wrex." _She paused momentarily to gather her thoughts. _"There is something a bit more troubling sir."_

"Yes?"

_"The Quarian, there was no intelligence that said that she was even on the station. I wasn't aware of her presence until after the fact. Either Ghost works for someone who has an intelligence network that rivals ours and the Shadow Broker's or he works for-"_

"The Shadow Broker himself." Harper swirled his bourbon pensively as he went over Rasa's analysis. He took a sip from the glass of refined whiskey. "I've considered that Ghost was a Shadow Broker agent long before, and I will partly agree with your analysis. However," Harper took another drag on his cigarette, "there are inconsistencies in his actions and the data. He is straight forward in his actions and is not hesitant to do his work out in the open, yet he is also capable of eluding our surveillance for five years. Unless the Shadow Broker has changed his modus operandi of absolute secrecy and deniability from his agents in recent years, I am hesitant to assume that Ghost works for him." He shook his head. "No, I believe there is a third player in this game that we have not yet seen."

"_Sir, if I may make a suggestion." _Rasa spoke tentatively.

"Go ahead."

_"Myself, as well as Leng and his team, are currently on the Citadel. We could make contact with him, or failing that intercept and apprehend Ghost while he is still on the station."_

"Your operation is denied Operative Rasa," She moved to protest, but he held up his hand. "I have a more pressing matter that you and Leng must see to at the moment." He sent a data packet to the Cerberus operative. Rasa opened the packet to see a dossier of an Alliance Admiral.

"_Sir?"_

"Rear Admiral Kahoku has been digging into some of our operations, both past and present. I want you and Leng to observe and report his actions to me and leave a few… warnings to stop his recent actions."

She nodded, although somewhat reluctantly, "_Understood sir, and if he continues to press the matter?"_

"Then make him disappear. The Alliance can always find another commander for its N7 program, one that would be more in line with our ideals."

She nodded and her hologram winked out of existence. Harper took in another drag of his cigarette and exhaled. He pressed a button on his arm console. "Tell Operative Lawson to come to Cronos Station after she is done on Eden Prime for a debriefing. I have an assignment for her." He released the button on the haptic interface and took a sip from his bourbon, the clink of the single sphere of ice off the glass echoed off the walls of the room. The holographic still of a figure in black armor and a blue visored helmet appeared in front of him. _I have questions, Ghost, and you've got my answers._

* * *

_Citadel, Presidium_

_Lt. Commander Amelia Shepard_

_SpecTRe_

* * *

"Shepard… why did we get involved with the hanar again? Keelah, I get why returned pilgrims sometimes call them big stupid jellyfish."

"I just wanted to help, the C-Sec officer looked like he could use a break." She replied sheepishly.

Tali looked at her blankly, "You're a strange human, you and Ghost both confuse me."

"Yeah, I guess I am." She paused as a question crossed her mind, "How did you meet up with Ghost anyways?"

"I was trying to meet the Shadow Broker and sell my information for protection. A doctor who treated my gunshot wound told me to go to Fist for help, since he's a Shadow Broker agent. Well, he used to be."

"Hold on, you got shot?"

"Oh, I forgot I only told Ghost about it, but yes I did. I had just arrived on the Citadel, and Saren's men attacked me. They used Polonium rounds. I was running a fever in minutes."

"Damn, I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Tali waved her hand in dismissal, "It was scary when it happened, but now I'm safe. Anyway, I was in Fist's office deciding on a meeting place with the Shadow Broker and then Ghost and his team went in. After that, well we made our way to the tower." She shrugged. "Not much else to say, Shepard."

"You do know that nobody meets the Shadow Broker face-to-face right?"

"What?! Ooh that lying bosh'tet, I'm glad Ghost killed him."

Amelia chuckled heartily at her companions naivety, when a realization struck her. "How exactly did Ghost know that you were going to be with Fist?"

"I don't know. He could have asked Dr. Michel from the clinic, nobody really knew I was on the Citadel, except for Saren… Why do you ask?"

"Anderson just told me that Ghost would be on the Citadel looking for evidence against Saren. For some reason, I think he knew about you before he got here, but I don't know how."

"Shepard, everyone that knew about the information I had was dead by the time I got to the clinic. Only people that knew were the Shadow Broker and Saren." Tali paused momentarily, a finger over her voice modulator. "Umm, Shepard… are you sure Ghost doesn't work for the Shadow Broker?"

"I'm fairly positive… then again, I don't really know that much about him, other than his name."

Tali cocked her head in confusion. "Then why are you so sure?"

She shrugged, "I dunno, it's just a feeling. I don't really know how to explain it."

"Hmm, I guess I kind of understand. He didn't give off the same kind of feeling like Fist or the volus at the clinic."

"Glad you understand. Now let's go look at those Omnis, I figure becoming a SpecTRe is reason enough to buy myself a gift."

* * *

_Citadel, Embassies_

_Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams_

_Normandy Weapons Maintenance Officer_

* * *

"Mr. Bhatia, I just spoke with Mr. Bosker, and he says your wife is alive and well. She's just recovering from her wounds in a field hospital on Eden Prime."

"How bad is she?" Samesh asked worriedly.

"Her right arm and leg had to be amputated, but they'll be replaced with clone tissue. But there is something you should know."

"What? What happened to my wife?"

"The geth weapons… well, the docs have never seen these kinds of wounds before, so they don't really know how it affects living tissue. She was hit in the abdomen and some of the rounds got through her armor." Ashley averted her gaze from the concerned husband. "I'm sorry, but they don't think she'll ever be able to have kids."

Samesh reeled back and clutched the rail in shock. His eyes looked down on the floor. "What about a clone transplant?"

"The rounds hit her ovaries, Samesh, the tissue is too scrambled for them to make a viable replacement right now. They said that they just don't have the right tools or procedures to rebuild her uterus and fallopian tubes without killing her on the table, even if they could clone her organs."

Tears began streaming down the man's face, "Nirali, she dreamt so much of having her own children. How am I supposed to help her? She'll be devastated!"

Ashley put a hand on the man's shoulder, "All you need to do is be there for her Samesh. She missed you so much, that she listened to your voice recordings every night. Be her rock, and let her know you're there. Get that restaurant she always wanted."

The man gathered himself and gave a stoic nod, "Yes you're right, it's the least I could do for her." He took in a deep breath before continuing, "I need to go, my wife needs me on Eden Prime. Thank you for all of your help, Chief Williams."

"Hey, call me Ash. And don't worry about it, Nirali was a friend. Just be happy and take care of yourselves." Samesh nodded and began striding purposefully out of the embassy. Ashley sighed and leaned her back on a nearby wall and gazed at the ceiling. _Damn geth, so many from the 212, all gone, and for what? A damn Turian and his lust for power? _She turned her head towards the retreating Indian man. _At least someone got a happy ending out of all this._ As Samesh Bhatia receded from her field of view, a new welcome sight greeted her. Spotting her, he made his way towards her spot on the wall. She straightened up and snapped off a salute as he neared.

"Afternoon, Lieutenant." _Man's kinda cute, if only he wasn't so detached. _

"Please, I'm not really big on formalities, Chief, be at ease." He took a glance around the embassy lobby, before turning back towards her. "Find out anything about your squad?"

Her mood dropped slightly, despite the company. "A lot of the ones that weren't in the city didn't make it. That damn dig site was a slaughter."

"Yeah, hard to believe we made it out of there in one piece. Jenkins went down so quickly… Never is easy losing men in the field like that."

"Yeah, losing all of Dog Squad like that, it was my first time ever in command, and I got them all killed."

"Chief, for what it's worth, I think you did the best you could. The colony wasn't equipped to handle a full on invasion like that, so it's not your fault."

"Thanks LT, I know. Doesn't make it any easier." She paused for a second, before continuing. "Would have been a lot worse down there if Ghost and his team hadn't shown up."

Kaidan frowned, "Yeah, about that. I'm not sure I buy the whole, 'in the neighborhood' story he gave us. It just seems too convenient that a team of highly trained soldiers were near Eden Prime when there was a Prothean beacon and a geth attack. And his arrival during the hearing was a little too convenient."

Ashley grew more alert. "What are you saying LT?"

"I'm just saying that Ghost may have ulterior motives for helping us right now. I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt, but everything he's done just seems too convenient and well timed. Something in my gut feels off when I think about it."

"I understand LT, but are you sure there isn't another reason you're not too fond of tall dark and deadly?"

Kaidan raised his eyebrow in confusion. "I don't follow Chief."

"Oh, don't worry about it. Anyways, I'm more worried about the aliens that Shepard agreed to bring aboard. How do we know if they're trustworthy?"

"You shouldn't judge someone just for their appearance chief. They may be a different species, but they're still people like you and me."

Ashley smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Then why do you have such a problem with Ghost then?"

Slightly flustered Kaidan responded, "Er, well this and that are entirely different, and, um, can we change the subject?"

Satisfiably amused at Kaidan's flustered demeanor , she decided to let him go for his hypocrisy. _Only because he's cute. _"What's that in your hand by the way?"

He glanced down and turned over the object. "Just something I'm using to scan some Keepers. A Salarian scientist asked for some help on some research, so I'm finding some to scan around the Presidium. Care to join me?"

"Err, I think I'll just stay here and wait for the Commander. You have fun with, well, whatever it is you're doing."

He nodded, "Alright, see you later Chief." As the lieutenant strode away into the embassies, Ashley couldn't help but maintain her gaze on his retreating figure, taking in the pleasant view of his rear. _Poor guy doesn't even know he already lost the game before he even started._

* * *

_Citadel, Flux_

_Urdnot Wrex_

_Krogan Bounty Hunter _

* * *

"Hey Krogan, we don't take kindly to cheaters around here. I suggest you leave… quietly."

Wrex turned his head sideways, gazing with his left eye on Flux's human bouncer. "And what will you do about it human?"

The man's confidence dissolved instantly as he failed to intimidate the large Krogan. He gulped nervously before stammering out a response. "I'll, errr, I-I'll have C-Sec here and arrest you. S-so leave now before I-I have to do so."

"Hmmph, that's what I thought. Don't worry weakling, I was just leaving anyways. This club is too soft for me anyways." With that Wrex, turned to exit the club.

Regaining some confidence, the bouncer continued pressing. "I-I'll need to confiscate that cheating device."

Wrex stopped in his tracks and glanced over his shoulder. "Don't push you luck, human. Be glad I didn't kill you where you stand." Not waiting for a response, he began lumbering away. Leaving a visibly shaking human cowering at the club's entrance. _ Wouldn't have been a good fight anyways. Too soft. _As he walked down the stairs a seedy Salarian began making his way towards him. _Speaking of soft. _

"Krogan, I trust that you have my device and data safe and secure."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Salarian." He shoved past the relatively diminutive alien and plodded down the stairs. "Now, outta my way."

The man began stammering in panic. "Y-you can't do this. You better return my device or-"

Wrex stopped and fully rounded on the crook and jabbed a large finger into his chest. "Or what, you'll call C-Sec? Or better yet, you'll have me killed?" He drew his face closer in a sneer and growled. "I'd like to see you try."

The salarian whimpered in terror and shrank away from the large krogan, "Don't kill me."

"Don't worry, you're not worth the effort." He took out the device from his pocket and crushed it in his hand. The mangled mess of metal and wires then found itself at the Salarian's feet. "Thanks for the free credits."

Wrex stomped away down the stairs and found himself among a bustling crowd of shoppers. He sighed. _Damn place is too soft for me. Sometimes, Tuchanka doesn't seem so bad. _A brief image of his father flashed in front of him. He scowled at the memory, leading to a few frightened pedestrians straying from his path. _Then again, there's a reason I left in the first place. _

He was interrupted from his musings by a familiar blue helmet to his right. He leaned against a wall and observed the enigmatic figure and saw him hand a small object to a human female. They spoke briefly and parted ways, a grateful look crossing the female's features. Ghost turned away and noticed him and made his way towards him. He pushed himself off the wall and waited for the man in armor to make his way towards him.

He nodded his head. "Ghost."

"Wrex, enjoying your time amongst the civilized of the galaxy?"

He grunted in response, "These pyjacks wouldn't know a good fight if it hit 'em in the quad. Too soft for me up here."

"Yeah, it certainly is peaceful. Not really my thing, but I can appreciate not getting shot everywhere I go."

"That just means you're not doing it right, Ghost."

Ghost shrugged, "Whatever you say Urdnot."

"So the female, she your mate?"

"Who Wong?" Wrex nodded. "No, just giving her some data from Fist's office. Figured she needed it for her investigation on the Citadel's corruption."

"Never liked reporters. Always good to punch them for a laugh though."

"Not so sure on the hitting, but I never really liked journalists either. Wong's different though, won't embellish the truth for views."

Wrex waved his hand in dismissal, "Bah, doesn't matter to me, I'm just worried about our next fight. Got anything that need shooting?"

Ghost stood there silently before replying, "No, can't say I do at the mom-"

"I might have something you two would be interested in." Wrex turned his gaze towards the familiar voice, only to be greeted with the sight of an unfamiliar Turian in white facepaint and black armor.

"Err, Garrus? Is that you?" Ghost asked. He nodded. "What's with the new look?"

"A former partner of mine has a sting operation on some illegal mods being sold by a Krogan named Jax on the Citadel. He asked me to pose as the mark. Figured you two would be happy to help?"

"Do I get to shoot something?"

"If it all goes right, no, but I don't think it will Urdnot."

Wrex grunted, "Good enough for me."

"Is this former partner of yours Chellick?"

Garrus turned to Ghost, mandibles wide in surprise. "Yeah, how did you know?" he asked suspiciously.

"Heard on the grapevine that Chellick was gunning for Jax. Not exactly public knowledge, but not a secret either." Ghost shrugged. "Wasn't that hard to piece together."

"Well that makes explaining things a bit easier then. So, you two in?"

"Why not, got nothing better to do anyways. Besides, I've been wanting to shoot something for awhile now."

"Sure, just let me grab something from my pack." Ghost unslung a metal case onto the floor, resulting in a dull metallic thud once it hit the floor. _Huh, didn't notice that earlier. _He looked inquisitively at the metal container.

"What's in the case?"

"Extra weapons and some personal items. Nothing fancy." He drew out a strange tubular weapon.

"Is that a rifle?" Garrus asked excitedly.

"No, it's a shotgun."

"Looks kinda big for a shotgun." Wrex commented. "Sure it can kill stuff?"

He pumped the slide action in answer to his question. "Does the job just fine."

* * *

_Lower Wards, Alleyway_

_30 minutes later_

* * *

"Remind me again how we ended up in a firefight?" Garrus asked as he ducked his head back down behind a crate.

"Oh, I don't know. Could have been your scaly butt that tipped them off." Ghost popped out of cover and pumped two rounds into a Salarian merc, pulping the body into an unrecognizable mess. He ducked back down into cover. "It was going just fine, until you had to say 'you're under arrest.'"

Garrus scoffed, "I couldn't let Jax get away, he was too dangerous. Better us than some unsuspecting beat cop." He popped up and shot a sniper round through a Turian merc's head, resulting in a spray of blue blood and grey matter. He ducked back down into cover. "Besides, Wrex is having lots of fun, aren't you?"

"Shut up Turian, I'm concentrating." Wrex readied his Claymore shotgun and focused his body's eezo nodules all across his nervous system. He popped out of cover and focused on a krogan mercenary pouring a relentless torrent of fire on their position. His vision blue shifted as he impacted on the smaller krogan, stumbling the merc and halting his torrent of fire. Wrex headbutted the Krogan and leveled his shotgun and fired twice into the merc's face. The corpse then fell forward, a mess of orange blood and skull fragments replacing its head. The fire from the remaining five mercenaries halted, all out of sheer terror and surprise. Wrex chuckled menacingly as the orange blood coated his face.

"Holy shit, he just obliterated Jax."

"We're not going to make it out of here. We need to –urk."

The Turian merc's call for a retreat was cut off as Ghost materialized behind him and stuck a bright blue blade through his back, resulting in it protruding from his chest. He deactivated the blade and kicked the corpse into another Turian, leaving them both in a heap. Ghost then leveled his weapon at the struggling turian's head and obliterated the skull, leaving a blue paste on the floor where his head used to be.

Not to be outdone, Wrex charged towards an awestruck salarian and lowered his shoulder. Once he was within reach he backhanded the diminutive man and flung him towards the opposite wall, leaving the harsh sound of breaking bones in its wake. The body slid down with the neck tilted at an unnatural angle. Wrex fired up the eezo in his body and sent a warp at a turian merc, who then fell to the floor screaming from his rearranging molecules. He then shot two rounds into the screaming merc, replacing the screams with a distinct gurgling sound as his upper torso was riddled with holes.

Before he could turn towards the last Salarian merc, a shot whizzed by, leaving said merc's head erupting into a fountain of green mist. An arrogant turian voice followed shortly afterwards. "Scoped and dropped!" He lowered his weapon and walked towards the himself and Ghost, a smug grin on his face. "Guess that's all of them."

Wrex grunted in annoyance, "These pyjacks were hardly worth the effort. Died too easily."

"We might have been a little out of their league, Wrex." Ghost replied

"No excuse, they had the drop on us." He nudged the bleeding corpse of Jax's headless body with his foot. Wrex frowned as he looked at the dead body of one of his people.

"Knew him?"

Wrex shook his head. "No." He turned away and moved towards the other two. "Now let's get moving, I think I've got brain juice on my hump."

"Garrus?"

"Chellick and his team will be here soon, so we're free to go." He shrugged. "Not much for us to do here anyways."

Ghost nodded, "Alright, let's go. It's about time to be at the embassies."

The three warriors began to walk out of the bloodied alleyway, but as they passed through the doorway, Wrex lingered for a little while longer. He glanced at the Krogan body, a single thought crossing his mind. _Put down like a rabid varren. _He shook his head in disgust. _Guess that's all we are now, raging animals for hire._ He turned back towards the door and lumbered away, not giving the scene behind him another thought.

* * *

_Exodus Cluster, Asgard System, Aboard the Shadow of Hope_

_Zach "Whisper" Jones _

_Shadow Team CQB Specialist_

* * *

_"Alright, Shadow. Gather around, we've got a mission_." Max's holographic projection appeared at the front of the room as the six members of Shadow Team waited for the briefing to begin.

"What've you got for us Worm? We get to save another damsel in distress?" Jones inquired. Riley jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.

"Quiet!" She hissed.

"_Nah, nothing so gallant on this mission Jones. Today, you're going to stop a Batarian terrorist cell from crashing an asteroid into this_." A pair of holographic projections of a blue-green planetoid and a large asteroid popped up. A small note was made calling the asteroid X57.

"That's Terra Nova!" Dunn breathed.

"Same shit different day, huh? Not surprised the batarians are pulling shit like this again." Lin remarked.

"How are they going to get an asteroid onto a trajectory like that? You'd need some heavy duty Fusion torches to push something that big." Riley commented.

"Someone would have noticed all that hardware coming in system." Jones said.

Max nodded, _"You're right on both accounts." _The projection focused on the asteroid. _"This is X57, an asteroid that has been slated for mining operations in the Asgard System. The planetoid already has several mining facilities and infrastructure constructed on its surface. But there is one important add on the company put in." _Three fusion torches appeared next to the asteroid. _"The wise folks at Terra Nova Mining Corporations decided to bring in X57 into geosynchronous orbit around Terra Nova to 'decrease logistical costs.' Needless to say, this is the Batarians' target._

"The colony won't know until it's too late." Lin stated.

"Poor bastards won't be able to even evacuate in time." Jones added.

"So what's the plan Worm? Reclaim the asteroid from the Batarians before the planet gets pummeled into an ice age?" Riley asked.

_"Nope, the asteroid hasn't been attacked yet."_

All six blinked in surprise. "What?" Dunn breathed, astonished.

"Then how do we know about this?" Riley inquired.

_"Our network picked up some chatter about a slave raid on a mining operation on the Asgard system. X57 is the only notable project in system, so it wasn't much of a leap of logic to assume this is the target."_

"Wait, you just said it was a slave raid. Pardon me if I'm wrong, but most slavers tend to capture slaves and bug out, not commit genocide." Jones interjected.

The projector switched to the portraits of two Batarian males. _"And you'd normally be right, but there is a slight snag." _The view centered on the right portrait. "_This is Charn, notorious slaver and commander of the Pirate Cruiser the Idolus, but generally not the 'kill all humans' type. Unfortunately he isn't the ones calling the shots on this mission." _The portrait then switched to a more menacing looking Batarian. "_This is the head honcho, Ka'hairal Balak, former Hegemony SIU and adamant advocate for the subjugation or extermination of Humanity."_

"I've heard of him, guy disappeared a few years before Torfan. Bastard's nothing but bad news." Lin added.

"He hijacked Charn's slaving op." Dychova remarked absentmindedly as she was performing maintenance on her helmet's optical suite.

_"Er, yeah, that's right. How did you-"_

Riley chose to cut in, "Worm, what's our objective for this op if the asteroid hasn't been hit yet?"

Collecting his wits, Max returned to the briefing. He cleared his throat before proceeding, "_Right. Shadow, your objective is to capture Balak and package him for delivery to the Alliance. It's likely he'll have some good intel on the Hegemony's recent policy and operations in Alliance space as well as the Terminus."_

Riley nodded before adding another question, "And the crew?"

"_Crew expendable." _

"And if they surrender?" she pressed.

_"No survivors."_

* * *

_Exodus Cluster, Asgard System – Aboard the Idolus_

_Commander Ka'hairal Balak_

_Batarian Hegemony SIU – Deniable Operations Division_

* * *

"Commander Balak, we've lost all power to the propulsion systems, we're dead in the water."

Balak scowled at the set back. _Piece of shit can't even fly like it's supposed to. Hmmph, no matter. _"Raise Engineering and tell them to get this piece of rust operational ASAP." He crossed his arms and looked over his subordinates on the bridge from upon his pedestal, casting an intimidating aura on the crew.

The bridge's communications officer turned to him in his chair, head bowed submissively as he addressed him, "Commander Balak, I can't contact Engineering, they're not answering their summons."

A pang of apprehension gripped Balak's heart, "Were we hit by an EMP?"

The officer shook his head, "No Commander Balak, all systems are operational, even the ones that haven't been electronically hardened."

He growled at the incompetent lower caste, "Well contact their personal radios on their omni-tools. I want an explanation as to why we're dead in the water right before a mission."

"Commander Balak, I have already tried reaching them through their omni-tools. The signal is going through but nobody is answering from below decks. There is only silence."

"What are you saying?"

"Commander Balak, it's not our end that's causing the comm's blackout. There's no one to call."

Charn spoke up from his side, "Commander Balak, I believe we have boarders on the ship."

"Or, we have traitors amongst your crew Charn. Your ship's sensors would have picked up a ship in our vicinity, would it not?"

"Yes Commander Balak." He said through gritted teeth.

"So the reasonable explanation is there is a saboteur among your crew as well as defectors that have betrayed the Hegemony." He turned his gaze fully on the lowered head of his subordinate. "The Hegemony does not tolerate such failures, especially on an important mission such as this." He drew his face closer, "And neither do I." He straightened himself and stepped of off the command dais and paced amongst the bridge crew. "For too long our people have resorted to scavenging for what we can like the damnable Quarians. For too long have the humans stolen from us what is rightfully ours. And he Council has forsaken our proud race to this demeaning state. And now, our own brothers betray us for what? Money? Asylum? They are a blight on our-"

He was unable to finish his speech as the bulkhead doors to the bridge were blown inward, sowing confusion amongst the bridge. Before Balak or his subordinates could react and draw their weapons, several of the bridge's occupants dissolved into flakes of golden light, much to their comrades' horror. Scowling, Balak turned to the bridge's intruders and was greeted with the sight of six black armored figures. "_Humans". _He sneered to himself. He drew a bead on one of the black figures, but they strode into cover at a supernatural speed. All Balak and the rest of the crew could do was try to suppress the intruders, as they were unable to track the swiftly moving targets.

One by one, his fellow Batarians dissolved away into the surrounding air in floating flakes of gold. Soon, all that were left, was himself, Charn and the communications officer. Charn spoke up first, "Balak, we're outgunned and outnumbered, we have to surrender if we want to survive."

The comms officer spoke as well, terrified by the humans' awesome power, "W-we're going to die if we don't give ourselves up!"

"NO! I will not surrender myself to these damned humans! We will fight to our last breath!"

"N-no way! I'm not going to turn into dust! Screw the Hegemony! The Alliance is probably better than starving to death anyways." He threw down his weapons and began to rise from the floor. Balak grabbed the coward and pinned him underneath him to the floor. He drew his face closer in a scowl.

"I should kill you right NOW for what you said. But luckily for you I need your help to fight off these humans. So you will pick up your weapons and –urk!"

Balak was unable to finish his command as he found himself in a submission net and on the floor looking at the bulkhead above him. His body paralyzed, he turned to look at his assailant to see Charn with his omni-tool outstretched towards him. "You FOOL! What are you doing!"

Charn shook his head, "I'm sorry Balak, but the Hegemony didn't pay me enough to die like a dog on my own ship." He tossed his weapons on the ground and moved to help the fallen communications officer. "I'm surrendering, so I can survive to tomorrow."

"You damnable traitor. You are selling out your own people. It's Batarians like you and their cowardice who will destroy what we are as a species."

Charn shook his head, "We're already doing that to ourselves, at least now I might have a chance for a better life. Who knows, maybe I might finally be able to have a family with an Asari if I defect to the humans." He turned to his comms officer, "Come on D'orn, we're going to live today." He and D'orn raised their hands above their heads and rose in the universal pose for surrender. "Humans, don't shoot! We surrender and mean no harm!" Balak scowled at the disgrace occurring before his eyes, helpless to stop the pair's cowardice.

From the floor, Balak saw two of the mysterious armored beings stride towards the two defectors with weapons slightly lowered. Standing a small distance away they looked at each other and turned back towards the soon-to-be prisoners. However, their surrender was not meant to be as the two humans retrained their weapons on the disarmed Batarian pirates. The two could only look in horror as the triggers on the odd weapons were tightened and bolts of golden orange light streaked towards them. Their deaths went unwitnessed by Balak, as a sharp stab of pain found itself at the back of his neck, and his vision went dark as his consciousness faded to nothingness.

* * *

_Lee "Mother" Riley_

_Shadow Team Leader_

* * *

She glanced towards the rapidly dissolving corpses of the two Batarian would be prisoners on the floor. She grimaced in disgust before schooling her features and reigning in her emotions. _They were trying to surrender, damn it. So why does it not feel wrong? Is it because they were slavers, or was it because they were Batarians. _She then turned her gaze towards their HVT. _They were going to send an asteroid into Terra Nova, Lee! Fucking Terra Nova! _

Zach walked up next to her and opened up a private comm channel with her. "Lee, I know you're torn up about the prisoners."

"Clearing out the crew was a clean op, Zach. Just point and shoot, but those two prisoners that was gray situation if I ever saw it."

"I agree it was gray, but it was the right shade of gray babe. Remember Torfan and what they were planning here?"

"You know that I'm the last person you need to remind about that damn moon. It's just – " She paused.

"Yes darlin'?"

"I don't want to lose my humanity like this, especially for some damn Batarians."

He placed his left hand on her right shoulder to console her. She accepted it by placing her left hand on his and squeezing, reassured by its presence. "And you won't. These were some bad men honey, they had it coming."

She sighed and released his hand. He removed his shortly afterwards. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"You know I am. Besides, Mac did warn us about the kind of missions he'd give us when he asked us to sign on with him." He paused before adding, "We could walk away. Mac always said that this was a strictly volunteer only outfit."

She shook her head, "No, Mac needs us. And besides, I know you wouldn't feel right leaving Mac. Not when you owe him so much."

"It's nothing compared to what you need." She was still skeptical and it evidently showed. "Look, Mac has already talked to me about this. He said he'd prefer to have us stay on the team if things got too rough, but he'd understand if we decided to call it quits. No hard feelings and all that."

She sighed, "I guess you're right."

"I know I am, now call up Worm and tell him we've secured the HVT. I'll be securing the NAV data on the computers."

She watched her husband turn to work on the cruiser's computer banks with the rest of her team. She brought up a comm link with the _Shadow of Hope._ "Worm, we've secured the HVT and the ship's crew has been cleared. Shadow is ready for extraction ."

_"There's been a slight change of plans, Mother. We're going to be leaving Balak on the cruiser for the Alliance instead of delivering him ourselves."_

Confused Riley continued, "Why the change of plan's Worm?" The rest of her team paused to listen in on the comms as well, intrigued.

_"Ghost has sent us a priority Alpha assignment, and we need to head to the Citadel ASAP."_

"What's on the Citadel, Worm?"

_"We've got to set up protection for an Alliance Admiral being targeted."_

"Who's the Admiral?"

_"You should know him pretty well, he is the CO of the Alliance's N7 program."_

Riley blinked in surprise. "Kahoku? Who's targeting him?"

Max waited a beat before responding, _"Cerberus."_

* * *

_A/N_

_Three Words, Fuck Final Exams_

_Anyways, so this is probably my eighth draft of this chapter. I just couldn't get the right pacing or dialogue written out for some reason. I also had a few problems trying to build a set up for later chapters with this one. Add in trying to study for exams, and this chapter ended up taking longer than it should have. Tell me if you're satisfied with how things are progressing so far._

_As for some of the characterization in this chapter, I wanted to portray Ash as a somewhat kinder person who has her prejudices, but not the overt racist some people make her out to be. Nobody's perfect after all. I hope I portrayed Wrex's abandonment of his people well in this chapter, cause that's how I always interpreted his character and actions in the first game as well as some of his stories in the later ones. Everyone else doesn't need much more explanation. I hope._

_Cerberus will be making their move on Ghost or his team fairly soon, but how and when is still up in the air. I'm still working out the conversation that will occur between Mac and Cerberus. Whether that will be with TIM or one of his agents remains to be seen._

_Semester is over for me right now so updates will be occurring with less of a gap than this one. Hope you enjoyed the read!_


	11. Oh Look, a Bubble

Chapter 10 – Oh Look, a Bubble

* * *

_Aboard the Normandy - Cargo Bay _

_Christopher "Mac" Zheng_

_Shadow Team Commander/ Normandy Liason_

* * *

I knelt on the floor of the _Normandy's_ cargo bay, setting up my personal workspace on the ship. Wrex stood over to my right, leaning against a stack of crates he had claimed as his own. I glanced over at his resting spot. He nodded over to me as I was working. "Ghost."

"Wrex." I responded in kind. I refocused my attention on the metal case I had been carrying earlier. I open up the top of the case and pull out the duffel bag containing all of my weapons from the ship. I then begin unpacking each piece one by one and set them on the floor to my right. I pressed a button on the case causing it to unfold and reassemble itself into a 6 foot tall metal rod six inches thick. A panel slid out to the left from at about chest height containing hard points to secure all of my weapons.

As it finishes constructing itself, I am alerted to the sound of armored footsteps clanging on the deck behind me. I turn my head slightly towards the sound and see a Turian making his towards me. I turn back to my workstation.

Garrus walks up next to me on my left very shortly and begins a conversation, "Nice gadget." He turns his face towards me, "What's it do?"

I respond in kind, "Stores all of my weapons and helps me take off and store my armor between missions." I glance over to him and see a look of confusion. "The armor I'm wearing isn't like a regular hardsuit you can take on and off. I need specialized tools to take it on and off quickly."

"Sounds like an inefficient design flaw. Why would you need help to take off armor?" Garrus asked.

I rap a knuckle on my chest plate. "The plating isn't ceramics, it's solid titanium metal plating."

"Your footfalls aren't that loud Ghost." Garrus stated skeptically.

I shrugged, "Spent a lot of time in this armor. I wouldn't be too stealthy if my targets could hear me coming."

"But wouldn't the weight slow you down? Humans aren't known for their strength after all." Garrus inquired.

I point to my armor's underlayer, "Artificial muscle fibers in my undersuit let me move around just fine. That and I'm stronger than I look."

"Hmm…" He turned towards my workstation, "How exactly does this thing help you with your armor anyways? All I see is a pole with a side panel for weapons."

I walk towards the device. "Here, let me show you." An indicator pops up on my HUD as I near the device asking if I wanted to initiate disassembly. I send a burst over my neural link in confirmation. Two slender arms pop up on each side of the pole and emit blue light as the hardlight emitters activate. I hold out both my arms at shoulder height as the device begins to disassemble my armor. Beams of blue light attach themselves to my armor and begin pulling away several plates of hardened metal. A blue hardlight mannequin forms to allow the armor to assemble itself back into its previous configuration. I unclasp the seals of my helmet and set it on top of the mannequin's head.

"Hmmph, you humans and your fancy toys." Wrex remarked from his spot on the wall.

I ignore him and return to placing my weapons on the rack next to my armor.

"Well, that was surprising." Garrus quipped, "But I don't think I've ever seen a human with facial markings before. Is it a clan marking?"

I reach up to the right side of my face near my eye briefly and bring it back down to the weapons panel. "Yeah, it's a reminder of home."

"Hmm, then is there a colony that it signifies?" Garrus asked.

I paused, thinking of an appropriate answer before responding, "No there isn't. I'm probably one of the last people alive that has these markings."

Garrus looked away, "Oh, I'm sorry."

I shook my head, "Don't be. Home is only a distant memory now." I take a pair of black pants out of the duffel and put them on over my undersuit. "I'm headed up to the comm room if you care to join me."

Garrus paused for a second before glancing at the Mako, "I'll be up there later, the Mako needs a few adjustments before the next mission. Especially after Shepard's fight with the Thresher Maw." Garrus shuddered in horror.

I winced at the mention of the team's trip to Edolus, "Her driving is pretty awful," I agreed. I held out my hand for a handshake. Garrus accepted it readily. "Well, I won't keep you any longer Garrus. I enjoyed this little chat."

He nodded, "Likewise Ghost, I'll see you at the briefing." He let go of my hand and turned away to walk towards the Mako. I turned back towards my armor and set it to diagnostic and self-repair mode. I turned towards Wrex.

"Wrex. Feel like joining me?" I asked. He just grunted in response and stayed against the hull with his arms crossed. "I'll take that as a no." I grabbed my pistol and a holster and attached it to my right hip before heading to the elevator.

As I pressed the button to head to the mess, a distinctly feminine voice called out as the door started to close. "Hold the elevator!" I quickly press a button to open the doors. A slightly flustered Ashley Williams enters the elevator. "Thanks Ghost."

"No problem Chief." The elevator door closes and begins climbing above deck at a snail's pace. _Damn thing is as slow as I remember it. Gonna have to tell Shepard I might be out of commission for Therum._

I'm interrupted from my inner monologue by a slight cough next to me. Williams speaks up, "Ghost, I never did thank you and your men for helping out on Eden Prime."

"It was nothing Chief. We were just doing our duties like any good soldier." I said.

I hear her mutter underneath her breath, _You could just take the thank you. _I ignore it and stand there silently, however Williams decides to pursue further conversation. "You know, it's nice to know you were human underneath that armor."

I turn my head towards her and raise an eyebrow, "What else could I be Chief?"

She shrugged, "Well you could have been a muscular Asari. Or a Batarian. You've certainly got the voice for it."

Flabbergasted I respond dumbly, "I think that's the first time someone suggested I could have four eyes." _My voice is not that deep or do that funny resonating thing._

"I said maybe you were a Batarian, I still believed that you were human." Williams said. "Probably."

I grunt in response, and a silence returns to the largely empty elevator.

Williams then speaks again, "So where are you headed Ghost?"

"Comm room." I said.

"Hmm, I'm going to the med bay. Doc said she wanted to look over some of my wounds from Eden Prime." She said. She paused in thought before realization dawned on her face. "Wait, isn't Shepard in the comm room right now?"

"Yeah, why?" I ask.

"Hmmm, no reason." There's a brief pause of silence before she continues. "So what's your relationship with the Commander?"

I glance at her before replying briefly, "Colleagues." I then add, "And apparently friends."

"Hmm, anything else?" She asks.

I raise my brow again in confusion, "Anything else what?"

"Oh nothing." She says. To my relief, the elevator dings, signaling its arrival at the upper deck. Williams strides out of the elevator towards the med bay. She calls out over her shoulder. "It was nice chatting with you Ghost. Good luck on your meeting with the Commander."

"Yeah." I say as I step out of the elevator and turn right towards the stairs to the CIC. I shake my head in confusion and remark, "Women." I reach the door at the top of the stairs and turn to my right towards the comm room. As the door opens, I notice Shepard in her debrief with Kahoku. I decide to stay quiet and listen in on the debrief at the moment. I cross my arms and lean against the door frame as I listen in.

_"Shepard, you got any news about my team that went dark on Edolus?"_

"Yes sir, the whole unit is KIA. They were DOA by the time my team got there."

"_Damn it!" _Kahoku swung his fist down onto the console in front him in anger. He took a deep breath as he tried to collect himself. "_Who killed them, Shepard? I'd like to know how a whole team of N's got killed without sending out a distress signal."_

"Sir, they were killed by a Thresher Maw. My team and I were almost killed investigating the beacon like they were."

Kahoku stood with his mouth agape, shocked at Amelia's statement. "_A Thresher Maw?"_ He shook his head in disbelief. "_No, there's no way those men would have stumbled on a Thresher Nest, not the whole unit. You and I both know that N's are better than that!"_

"I agree Admiral, and it wasn't an accident." Kahoku raised an eyebrow. "They were lured there by an Alliance distress beacon. Someone placed it perfectly so that they'd be right in the middle of the Thresher Nest. Their shuttle was hit as soon as they landed." Amelia shook her head. "There wasn't much left of the bodies."

Kahoku slammed his fist again, "_Damn it! I had a bad feeling about this ever since my team disappeared. An Alliance beacon used as bait, my men wiped out… and no one seems to care or know anything about it!" _He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, before collecting himself. _"Shepard, I appreciate your help, I won't forget it. Now I've got to do my part and find out what happened to my marines. It's the least I could do for them and their families."_

"Anything I can do to help, sir?"

Kahoku shook his head, _"Not right now Shepard, you've done more than enough for me and my men. But if I need anything, I'll be sure to contact you."_

Amelia snapped off a salute, "Good hunting, sir."

He returned the salute and nodded, "_And you as well Shepard. Get that bastard Saren for me. Kahoku out." _The hologram of the Alliance Admiral cut out leaving Amelia alone in the Normandy's comm room. She sighed and tiredly rubbed her eyes.

I decided to speak up at that point, "That bad, huh?"

She jumped slightly, evidently startled by my question. She turned towards the door I was leaning on, "Jesus Ghost, don't scare me like tha-" She paused, staring at me in a bewildered yet intrigued manner. _Not sure what to make of that look she's giving me._ A few seconds of silence pass by, so I decide to cough *_Ahem* _into my hand.

"I didn't grow a second head somewhere, now did I Shepard?" I said with a smirk on my face.

"Er, no, um, uh, what was the first question again?" Amelia stumbled.

The smirk disappeared from my face as I turned serious. "Your debrief with Kahoku, how'd it go?"

She collected herself and recovered quickly from her stupor before answering. She sighed and shook her head. "Not good, I had to tell him that his men were basically fed to a Thresher Maw. He thinks there was some kind of cover up involved."

"And you?" I asked.

Shepard sighed again, "Yeah, I think so too. I know how N's operate, and that distress beacon was too close to that Thresher nest to be a coincidence, someone on that team would have noticed something was wrong if it was just a coincidence. Someone was behind this, and I want blood." She shook her head. "But I've got my responsibilities as a SpecTRe to bring Saren in, so I can't help Kahoku right now, and he knows it."

"Do you really have to worry about this? I'm sure Kahoku is more than capable." I suggested.

"No, I guess not." She paused before continuing. "Not that I mind, but what exactly are you doing up here? The briefing for finding T'soni's daughter isn't for another hour yet."

I shrugged nonchalantly, "Just wanted to explore the ship and check up on you. Had to make sure you didn't go mad with power from being 'outside the law' as a SpecTRe." I used air quotes at her new diplomatic immunity.

She chuckled, "Well, I can't say that I don't appreciate the sentiment." She paused before asking a question. "So, um, how come you're not in your armor?"

"Figured I could use some fresh air out of the armor… relatively speaking." She crossed her arms and leaned on a hip in skepticism. "Fine, the armor needed some maintenance. It's running some self-diagnostics right now."

Shepard frowned, "It's not going to keep you from the mission is it?"

I shrugged, "It'll take a few hours to finish, and I figured you would want to evaluate the rest of the ground team on a ground op. See how well they meshed with you in combat."

"What about you? You're a part of this team too."

"Didn't see much use in going on this one. Simple smash and grab of an HVT." I shrugged again, "Besides, we already fought together on Torfan, didn't think I'd need a refresher course."

"I did learn some new moves since the last time we fought Ghost." She said with a smirk, "But, I wish you would have consulted with me about it. We might need you down there." She said.

"I'm sure the six of you will do just fine. Besides you've got a Krogan with you." I reassured her.

She chuckled, "Yeah, I guess so." She turned serious before continuing. "Any thoughts on the rest of the ground team?"

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued, "Why ask me? This is your operation, I'm just another grunt here."

She shrugged, "I value your opinion, and you're not as racially biased compared to the others."

"Neither is the Lieutenant, Shepard." I countered.

"He doesn't count, he's my subordinate." She paused before continuing, "Besides, he's too timid to really analyze a person."

I sighed, "Alright, fine I'll bite, Shepard. So who do you want me to talk about first?"

She paused, tapping her chin in contemplation. "Wrex would be a good start."

* * *

_Citadel, Cerberus Safe House_

_Operative Rasa_

_Cerberus Espionage and Infiltration Specialist_

* * *

"All teams, this is Rasa, report in."

_"Alpha Team reporting, and in position behind the target's apartment building."_

_"Charlie Team in position and eyes on the target's room."_

_"Bravo Team in position up the street and on standby."_

_"Overwatch on standby with eyes on the target."_

"Alright, all teams hold position until execution order is given in ten minutes." She sighed and turned to the other occupant in the room. "Shouldn't you be out there in the field too Leng? They're your men after all."

He leaned back casually in his chair as he flipped a menacing combat knife in the air. "It's a simple kidnapping of an aging Alliance Admiral, having me there would be overkill." He caught the knife and stabbed it into the wood of the desk in front of him. "Besides, the real fun will be killing him afterwards." A sadistic smile played across his features. "And I'm going to enjoy every minute of watching him suffer for putting me in that prison."

Rasa fought hard to fight the shudder that threatened to overtake her body from Leng's statement. _God, why have I been paired up with this lunatic so much lately?_ She suppressed a sigh and went over the intel on the Alliance Admiral. _Overwatch has a vantage point on the Admiral's apartment and Charlie is setting up for a simple breach and clear of his place. Alpha and Bravo are ready to provide backup for the two other elements of the operation. Everything is going according to plan, so why does it feel so wrong?_

Rasa shook her head and focused on the mission clock. She waited until the ten minutes had passed before initializing the final stage of the operation. She turned back to the comm equipment to coordinate the four Cerberus wetwork teams.

"Charlie Team, move in and secure the Admiral." A click sounded over the comms in affirmation. She then keyed into the two man sniper team. "Rasa to Overwatch, status report on the area."

She listened in for a response, but all she was rewarded with was the sound of static. She keyed in the mic again. "Overwatch, I say again, I want a status report."

Leng rose from his seat and strode over to the equipment and connected his mic into the network. "Johnson, Wilson, this is Leng. Answer your radios." He was only met with static as well. Rasa and Leng glanced at each other, a sense of unease at the professional duos' silence shared between them.

Rasa chose to reroute one of the four man teams to check up on the mute sniper team. "Bravo, circle back and check up on Overwatch. They're not answering their comms."

"_Copy that, Rasa. Bravo is Oscar Mike."_

Leng focused on the abduction team in the meantime. "Charlie what's your status on the Admiral?"

_"Admiral has been secured. Bastard's fighting like mad to get out of his restraints." _There was a chorus of chuckles that sounded over the radios.

Leng grinned, "Good, start moving him to the extraction point. Alpha will link up with you once you're out of the apartment."

_"Roger that, Charlie is moving. ETA 10 mikes. We'll there before- what was that?"_

"Charlie, status?"

_"It's nothing Leng, just thought we saw something moving. Turned out to be just a shadow. Charlie ou-HOLY SHI-urrrk."_ A loud squelch was heard over the radio as Charlie's signal was cut.

"Charlie, report." Leng was met with silence. He pounded the table in anger. "DAMN IT!" He switched over to Alpha's channel. "Alpha report. Charlie is down. I repeat Charlie is down." He was met with more silence. "Son of a bitch!"

Rasa, hearing Leng's frustration, felt a sense of foreboding hit her gut. She worriedly tuned into Bravo's channel. "Bravo this is Rasa, respond."

"_Rasa this is Bravo Team. Ma'am we've found Overwatch."_

Breathing a sigh of relief she responded, "That's good to hear Bravo. Put them on the radio so I can talk to them."

_"Uh, Ma'am I don't think that's going to happen." _ There was a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Why not?" Rasa asked.

"_They're KIA ma'am. Someone slit their throats and left the bodies."_

Anxiety crept into her voice as she urged her remaining team to move, "Bravo get out of there NOW! The operation has been compromised, we're leaving."

_"Ma'am, no offense, but we can still kidnap one Alliance Admiral with the three teams and-"_

"They're all gone Bravo. You're the only ones left."

There was a noticeable pause on the radio, "_Understood ma'am, we're evacuating the area_."

"Proceed to rally point delta, Leng and I will meet you there. Rasa out." She clicked off the communications equipment and proceeded to sanitize the safe house with caustic liquid to destroy all of the equipment. She glanced to her left to see Leng placing demolition charges around the small apartment.

"Leng! We don't need those!" Rasa snapped.

He briefly glanced over at her before continuing, "Yes we do. Operation's been compromised, so I'm sanitizing."

"The explosion will draw C-Sec here like flies! We're not even supposed to be here Leng!"

He shrugged, "Let them come, they won't find anything." He grinned. "Besides, it'll leave a nice going away present for our neighbors."

* * *

_Kahoku's Apartment_

_Lee "Mother" Riley_

_Shadow Team Leader_

* * *

"Dychova, Keyes. Have you completed your objective?" Riley asked.

Dychova's face appeared in a window on her HUD, "_Yes ma'am, the bug's been planted on one of the Cerberus members' omni-tools."_

"Did they police the bodies you left as bait?" She asked.

Dychova shook her head, _"No, they didn't. They investigated them briefly and then fled the scene. We barely had enough time to plant the bug on one of them."_

"Alright, excellent work you two. Rendezvous with me and Jones and circle back to our position to secure Admiral Kahoku and debrief."

Dychova nodded, "_Yes ma'am."_ The window closed out, leaving her and Jones alone with the Admiral. She walked over to the two men.

"Admiral, hope you didn't get too rattled with the kidnapping." Riley said.

"Hmmph, it'll take more than a few Cerberus terrorists to shake this marine." Kahoku replied.

Riley replied, slightly surprised at Kahoku's knowledge, "You knew who they were sir?"

"Who else could they be? I've been investigating them for the past year. First one of my N teams go missing and turn up dead and now I receive anonymous death threats and a botched kidnapping." Kahoku shook his head, "Honestly, I'd be surprised if it was anybody, but those traitorous bastards."

Before she could reply to the Admiral, a new window appeared with Lin inside on her HUD. "_Riley, we've hit a snag."_

Alerted by the use of the unplanned contingency codeword, Riley responded to her subordinate. "What is it Lin? Did you make it to their safe house?"

_"Yeah, me and Dunn made it to the safe house alright. Problem is we were too late. Bastards bombed the whole 5__th__ floor of the apartment building before we could go in."_

She gritted her teeth in anger, _Damn it! _"How many civilian casualties, Lin?"

He shook his head, "_Not sure, but it ain't pretty. Paramedics just arrived and started carrying out wounded and bodies." _He paused before continuing. "_Not as bad as Torfan, but still pretty bad out here."_

"You see any of those Cerberus bastards walk out of there?"

_"No, they split before we arrived on scene. Probably a timed explosive." _He paused, biting his lip in thought. "_Ma'am, permission to assist with the wounded? They're hurt pretty bad over here."_

Riley shook her head, "Permission denied Lin. We need you here to help secure the Admiral until we can escort him to an Alliance vessel."

She saw him clench his jaw before responding, "_Understood ma'am. Lin out."_

"What's the situation?" Her husband spoke up from behind her. She turned towards him and the Admiral before speaking.

"Cerberus detonated a bomb at their safe house. Took out a whole floor and god knows how many civilians." Riley said.

"Son of a bitch!" Kahoku said as he slammed a fist onto a nearby table. "These bastards are going to get what's coming to them if I have anything to say about it."

_I hope so Admiral, _Riley thought, _for all of our sakes._

* * *

_Artemis Tau, Knossos, Therum_

_Lt. Commander Amelia Shepard_

_Council SpecTRe, Normandy CO_

* * *

"Uh, Skipper. I don't think we're going to fit through that gap." Ashley stated from the Mako's gunner seat.

"Wait, what's going on? She's not about to do something crazy is she?" Garrus asked from the troop bay in the back.

"I think Chief Williams is right Shepard. That gap looks a little too small." Tali replied nervously from the navigator's seat to her right.

"Nonsense. We'll get through just fine. I think." Amelia reassured her team. Unfortunately they were anything but.

"Is it too late to walk on foot? I could use the exercise." Garrus remarked in humor, albeit with a tinge of nervousness in his voice's reverb.

"Yeah, uh, Commander, I could use some movement to warm up my biotics." Kaidan added.

"Bah, all of you are a bunch of scared pyjacks. Shepard drives just like a Krogan." Wrex stated.

_I'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. _"We're on the clock people. The Geth could be getting to Benezia's daughter any moment now." She smirked as she revved the engine. "Besides, this will be fun."

"Shepard, please. I urge you to reconside- KEEEEELAAAAAH!" Tali's statement was cut off as Amelia gunned the Mako forward towards the narrow crevice in front of her. As the vehicle came closer , she fired the thrusters on the left side of the vehicle. The resulting orientation nearly had the wheel axles perpendicular to the ground that the vehicle was travelling on. Several surprised screams filled the vehicle's interior as the Mako's momentum carried it past the wall of collapsed boulders into an open area.

The vehicle's eezo core promptly righted its orientation. With all wheels on the ground Amelia began moving forward and proceeded to crush several Geth platforms underneath the vehicle's oversized tires. There were several thumps reverberating throughout the Mako's frame as the robotic bodies were converted to over engineered speedbumps on the volcanic planet's surface. Seeing that the coast was clear, Amelia halted the vehicle and looked over her shoulder to look at the rest of the vehicle's occupants. "Everyone alright back there?" Amelia asked.

"Skipper, let's not do that again, please." Ashley said.

"Spirits, are all humans this bad at driving?!" Garrus exclaimed.

"Thankfully no, but unfortunately not all of us are good drivers." Kaidan replied. "Ah, my head." He groaned.

"Urgh, I hate this thing already." Tali groaned.

In contrast to the rest of the team, Wrex just chuckled darkly.

Rolling her eyes, Amelia called out to the vehicle's inhabitants in the troop bay. "Alright boys, disembark. Make sure none of the Geth get close enough to plant a charge on the vehicle." She lowered the rear door as she gave the order.

"Hmmph, finally, I get to shoot something." Wrex grunted as he lumbered out of the rear door.

"Spirits! I don't think my stomach could have handled more of that." Garrus quipped.

"Or my head." Kaidan added.

"Um, Shepard. Do I really need to help navigate? We're almost at the mines after all." Tali asked sheepishly.

Amelia turned her head to the right and replied, "Of course I do. Who else is going to make sure I don't drive into lava or off a cliff? This is dangerous terrain."

For a moment she thought she heard Tali muttering something about '_driving straight'_ and '_bosh'tet' _but she ignored it and drove the vehicle forward slowly, providing mobile cover to the three men outside. The constant firing of the mako's cannon and coaxial gun mixed in with her disembarked teammate's fire to provide a monotonous trip to the mining camp atop the hill. Needless to say, the resistance offered by the Geth troopers was crushed with overwhelming force.

As Amelia drove the IFV up and over the crest of the hill, a familiar artificial whine grew louder. From her right Tali called out a warning. "Shepard, there's a Geth dropship incoming."

"How far out is it?" Amelia asked.

"Sensors say five kilometers, so three minutes."

"Chief, get ready to lay down some fire up there!" Amelia called out

"Aye aye, Skipper." She responded.

As the mako approached the mining camp, Amelia was greeted with the site of a cluttered courtyard with a large amount of destroyed mining equipment and vehicles with brown-red stains painted on them. There was, eerily, a distinct lack of human bodies in the mess.

"I don't like this skipper. Where are all the bodies here? I mean, I didn't expect survivors with the Geth here, but this is an Alliance mining colony. Where are all the miners?" Ashely said.

"I don't know Chief, but–" Amelia was unable to finish as a Geth Dropship passed by overhead and dropped off its payload in the courtyard up ahead. A pair of Geth Armatures rose up and began peppering the Mako with machine gun fire. A squad of Shock Troopers added their volume of fire to the mix. Amelia maneuvered the IFV behind a metal wall to evade the incoming fire and keyed up her radio to the fire team outside. "Lieutenant, have Garrus and Wrex help you in clearing out the Geth infantry. I'll handle their armor."

"_Understood Commander. We've got your six." _Kaidan responded.

"Alright ladies, buckle up. It's going to get bumpy here." Amelia stated as she gripped the steering wheel, a grin plastered on her face.

"Uh, Skipper, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking are you?" Ashley asked nervously.

Tali, terrified, responded to Ashley's question, "She's not planning to run those over too is she? There's too many there."

Ashley was unable to answer the rhetorical question as Amelia gunned the engine and roared past the wall and into the courtyard. Ashley fired two shells into the nearest Armature, disabling its kinetic barriers and rupturing its front "chest" armor as well as disabling it's optics with mass accelerator fire. A final shot from the cannon entered the ruptured portion of its armor and connected with the power core, turning the Geth armored platform into a shower of atomized eezo dust and slagged metal.

Before Ashley could train the weapon on the second platform, the front end of the Mako smashed into the Armature's front armor and collapsed the platform onto the top of the Mako. The optics as well as the pulse cannon in the head of the platform were destroyed from the whiplash onto the Mako's top armor. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the wedged front of the Mako had ruptured the Armature's power core, leading to a second catastrophic failure. An explosion enveloped the IFV and melted the reinforced rubber tires and disabled many of its barrier emitters. The console in front of her flashed with alarms as various systems in the vehicle shut down. Amelia's radio sprang to life as the gunfire outside died down.

"_Commander, we've cleared out the ground troops out here. Are you ladies alright in there?" _Kaidan asked.

"We're fine Lieutenant." The two other women groaned and muttered obscenities, but Amelia ignored them. "Though I can't say much for the Mako." She turned towards Tali.

She shook her head. "Shepard, you've melted the tires, destroyed the barrier emitters and compromised the vehicle's structural integrity with the collision. This thing is just a big metal coffin and a death trap." She paused before adding. "At least more than it was earlier anyways."

Although annoyed at having lost their armor and having her driving skills questioned, Amelia nodded. "Alright you two, out of the Mako. It's all clear outside anyways." The two women scrambled out of the rear loading ramp onto the volcanic rock outside. In contrast, Amelia calmly strode out the Mako's rear as if a disabled Mako was par for the course of a mission. She looked across the courtyard, taking in the destruction with satisfied glee.

Unfortunately, her moment of Zen was interrupted by the return of the ominous whine given off by the Geth dropship's engines. Amelia yelled, "Get to cover!" and the six man fireteam scrambled to get to the opposite side of the wall facing the tunnel entrance.

All six fighters crouched behind the metal wall of scaffolding, ready to fire on anything the dropship unloaded. A deafening boom could be heard as the dropship dropped its payload into the courtyard on the other side of the wall. Amelia peeked over the wall's edge to see a large cloud of black ash concealing whatever was delivered. As the dust cloud cleared, Amelia saw what appeared to be a Geth Armature rising from the ground. However, this particular platform was much larger and covered in white plating instead of the normal grey. She was unable to study the object further as a torrent of mass accelerator fire slammed into the metal walls her team was hiding behind.

"Son of a bitch!" Amelia hissed.

"Commander, what's the plan?" Kaidan asked.

She turned to Tali. "Tali, do you think you could hack that Geth, er-"

"Colossus." Tali said.

"Yeah Colossuss. Can you delay its processors or send its sensors into a loop so we can hit it?"

She shook her head, "Sorry Shepard, the Colossus has too many programs for me to infiltrate its systems with just my Omni-tool."

"Well, we can't take it down with our firearms. That thing's power core is too armored for our weapons to get through it." Garrus stated.

"Skipper, what about the Normandy?" Ashley asked.

Amelia raised an eyebrow. "Have him do a fire mission? That's danger close Chief, it's kinda crazy." Amelia said. She tapped her chin in thought before nodding her head. "But then again, I like crazy. Everyone keep your heads down while I call in a fire miss-" She was interrupted by the squelch of her comms being activated.

_"Commander, come in. This is Joker." _

"Joker, good timing. I was just about to call down a fire mission from the Normandy. I take it you're lining up your approach right now, since you called me in?" Amelia asked.

There was a pause on the radio before she received a response, "_Uh, no that wasn't why I called Commander."_

Confused, Amelia replied, "Then… why did you call?"

_"Uh, it's about our resident Ghost, he, uh, um, I'm not sure how to say it."_

"Spit it out Joker." Amelia replied, slightly agitated at the mention of Ghost.

_"He jumped out of the ship Shepard, and, uh, we're currently in orbit right now."_ Joker answered nervously.

Amelia blinked, rendered speechless by Joker's statement. "He… jumped?" She sat quietly for a few seconds before the realization hit her. "HE JUMPED?!" She yelled hysterically.

Her five teammates looked at each other, concern crossing their features. Garrus spoke what was on each of their minds. "Uh oh. That can't be good."

* * *

_Aboard the Normandy – Cargo Bay_

_Christopher "Mac" Zheng_

_Shadow Team Commander/ Normandy Liason_

* * *

I snapped on the shotgun to my lower back beneath the Spartan Laser that was in place across my shoulder blades. I then holstered my pistol onto my right thigh and placed several blocks of C12 explosives and a disposable hardlight emitter where my M7s would have gone. I check the seals on my helmet and look over my armor plates as I step towards the loading ramp at the other end of the Normandy's cargo bay. I pressed the manual release for the ramp and watched it as it opened up to reveal the beautiful horizon of Therum against the light of the star of Knossos. My helmet polarized itself to reduce the glare from the large star in the distance. A kinetic barrier popped up to protect the ship's interior as it was exposed to the harsh vacuum of space. I walked down the lowered ramp and halted at the edge and peered down at the planet's surface before me. I initiated the start up for my armor's reentry program and felt the hum of increasingly energized photons around me as the hardlight emitters around me activated. A faint blue glow enveloped my field of vision as a bubble of hardlight ions formed itself around me. I hear footsteps and the buzz of the ship's intercom blaring behind me, but I ignore it as I crouch down at the end of the ramp. I tilt myself forward and wait until my vision becomes inverted as I see the belly of the ship. As gravity begins to take hold of me in the planet's exo-atmosphere I accelerate the process by activating my leg muscles and pushing both legs off the bottom of the ramp and into the near vacuum of Therum's exo-atmosphere.

As I begin accelerating towards the planet's surface I streamline my body and place my arms at my sides and tilt my face towards the planet's surface. The orbital reentry program activates as the suit's computer triangulates Shepard's position at the dig site. A series of blue rings fill up my HUD to guide my descent into Therum's atmosphere and toward its surface. I send brief commands through the neural implant to fire my suit's thrusters to maneuver through the guidance system's target rings as well as artificially accelerating my descent to the surface.

Gravity begins to increase its hold on me as a faint red-orange glow forms on the edge of my hardlight barrier, creating a faint purplish hue that mixes with the two opposing colors. I am enveloped by a sense of serenity and peace as a minute passes by in quiet during my trip. However, it is soon interrupted by the raging corona of hell fire that envelopes my surroundings and a deafening roar of air as its companion. My view of the surface is now obscured. However, trusting my suit's guidance computer, I continue to follow the path outlined in my HUD.

The next ring lights up in red, indicating that I was near the surface at 5 kilometers. I unpin my arms and reorient myself with my feet towards the ground and fire my thrusters to reverse my momentum. The wall of red fire dissipates and is replaced with a solid blue barrier as my speed slows down. The velocity indicator goes from red to green, signifying a safe impact speed for my armor. I then curl up into a ball and lock up my armor's hydrostatic gel layer to absorb the impact. Before I can contemplate my strategy on the surface a bone jarring impact rocks my body as I hit the surface, rattling my teeth in the process.

My armor unlocks itself and I rise from my position and assess the situation. My HUD has returned to its normal layout by the time I draw myself to my full height. I see the outlines of Shepard's team crouched behind a metal wall to my right. A large red dot lights up my motion sensor to my left and I turn my head in response. I look up to see a Geth Colossus "looking" towards me. It draws its legs together and rears its head back in preparation to fire its main cannon. _Shit._ I bring up left arm and grab the Spartan Laser off my back with my right. I activate the hardlight shield on my left forearm and rest the back of my weapon on my right shoulder as I grip the weapon's trigger housing with my right hand and crouch down. Time slows to a crawl as a blob of blue pseudo-plasma races towards me.

Behind the cover of my shield, I aim my weapon towards the front legs of the Colossus and initiate the firing sequence. The red laser grows in intensity and finally "impacts" on the front armor plates of the Colossus's legs, while simultaneously, the pseudo-plasma impacts my hardlight shield and an audible pop is heard as the ionized photons and ion mix is overwhelmed by the excess energy. My visor polarizes automatically from the bright light. As the light dissipates, the meter for my energy shield blinks red in depletion while my kinetic barriers still remain functional. I feel the slight blistering on my left forearm from the heat that had bled off from my shields. Regaining my focus, I return my attention to the Colossus and am dismayed by what I see. Although the armor had been slagged, the legs were still functional.

I replace my Spartan Laser on my back and tense my legs in preparation. _Time for plan B._ I dash forward towards the behemoth and initiate my thruster pack to add to my speed. My surroundings turn into a blur around me as I race towards my target. I feel a torrent of mass accelerator rounds whiz past my head and get closer to me. There is now a pause in its firing as it brings its legs together to fire its pulse cannon. Before the Colossus can get a bead on me, I plant my right foot on the ground and leap to my left. During mid-flight of my jump, I fire my thrusters to lengthen the distance of my evasion. Ten meters away from me, a ball of pseudo-plasma impacts on the ground, turning the volcanic ash and soot into smooth glass. I continue rushing towards the Colossus.

Before it can resume its fire, I reach within ten meters of the behemoth and leap off the ground towards the target. My thrusters fire in midflight to increase my height. I rear my right hand back and activate my plasma blade as I put my left hand forward to cushion the impact. As my left hand touches the right leg joint of the Colossus, I strike forward with my blade into the exposed artificial muscle, carbon nanofibers. I pull myself up using both of my blades to leverage myself onto the back of the Geth platform.

Once I reach the Colossus's back, I activate my mag boots and crouch down on top of the armor plating. I activate my hardlight emitters in my right hand and form a gauntlet around it. Rearing back my right hand once again, I close my hand into a fist and strike down on the plate of white armor. Sparks fly as energized photons react with hard metal and weaken its metallic bonds. I strike repeatedly until a square meter section of armor has turned brittle and worn from my fist. I then deactivate my hardlight gauntlet and blade my right hand and forcefully insert it into the battered armor plating. Using my enhanced strength, I pull out several chunks of armor to expose the delicate endoskeleton and wiring underneath. By this point, the Colossus is thrashing about to dislodge me from its back. In response I use my left hand and grasp the bottom edge of the hole I had created.

I then use my right hand to place three kilogram-block charges of C12 in the hole and activate their remote detonators and slave them to my neural implant. I then place the hardlight emitter onto the hole to focus the blast towards the vulnerable power core. I rise up and kick up and backwards off of the platform's back. I arch my back and have my momentum flip me once through the air and reorient my body to land on my feet. As I land I immediately get down on one knee and put my fist into the ground as I lock my armor. A barrier of ionized photons forms itself around my body. _Fire in the hole._ I send the detonation command through my neural implant and wait for the imminent explosion.

I first hear a muffled thump above me, but then it is followed by a much larger and deafening explosion that rattle my clenched teeth. A wave of heat and energy washes over me and then there is a sudden absence of sound as a momentary vacuum is formed from the explosion. My barrier '_pops'_ as I deactivate the armor lock. I get up and roll my shoulders and neck to work out some of the damage from my handiwork. I look up to see the rest of the team staring at me.

"Hmmph, show off." Wrex grunted, although there was a look of approval in his eyes. The rest of the team just stared at me in shock or amazement, I'm not sure. However, there was one woman who did not look at all amused by my heroics.

In front of the five fighters was Shepard with her arms crossed and tapping her foot. Irritation was clearly arrayed across her face._ Well, shit._

* * *

_Therum – Prothean… Bubble?_

_Dr. Liara T'Soni_

_Prothean Archeologist_

* * *

She had been in this Goddess forsaken security device for Goddess knew how long. The dehydration and hunger was starting to get to her. "Look on the bright side Liara, at least you're alive." _Though I can't say that for my excavation team. _The miners had been quite helpful after she had asked them for help, especially after flashing the credits in her account. The money given to her by her estranged mother was probably the only interaction they've had in the past few decades. _I'm probably nothing more than a mere disappointment to her. _

"Maybe Mother was right about me becoming an archeologist. I mean look where you are now Liara. Stuck in a Prothean security device, surrounded by killer Geth and a bloodthirsty Krogan prowling around to top it all off. How on Thessia are you going to get yourself out of this one Liara?"

Two of the Geth she had seen earlier walked up to the barrier in front of her. "Oh, hello there. I don't suppose either of you two can speak? I could use the company. But please, don't bring the Krogan here, he wasn't good company earlier."

The two Geth looked at each other and emitted a series clicks and electronic warbles that were undecipherable to her, no matter how hard she tried to understand their language. She sighed,"I suppose that was too much to ask for then. I appreciate the effort though."

She was unable to hear their response as a black blur dropped down from above and behind them. Both of the Geth turned towards the intruder, only to be reduced to scrap metal from two consecutive loud booms emanating from a long tubular weapon in the newcomer's hands. She looked at the figure's head to see a blue polarized visor staring back at her emotionlessly. "Oh, hello there. I don't suppose you can hold a conversation can you?"

The figure ignored her and glanced above and called out to an unseen party. "Shepard, I've cleared all hostiles, and I've found the good doctor."

Liara frowned, "You know, it's not polite to ignore somebody that's right in front of you, you know. It's fairly rude."

The figure turned towards her, "My apologies Dr. T'Soni, but the situation doesn't allow me to be friendly at the moment."

Before she could reply, the newcomer dissolved into thin air leaving her alone once more. Liara blinked in confusion. _I'm not hallucinating am I?_

Luckily for her sanity a human woman and a rather large Krogan dropped down in front of her, though thankfully it wasn't the rather brash Krogan from earlier. _Though, I suppose they do all act the same. _"Hello, I'm not hallucinating you two am I? I think I imagined that black armored figure from earlier, his armor was rather strange."

"Dr. T'Soni, I'm Commander Shepard, and don't worry, we're definitely real, and so was the person from earlier." The woman replied.

Liara blinked once again, befuddled. "Then how did he-"

Shepard interrupted her, "The disappearing act?" Liara nodded. Shepard shrugged, "That's just his thing. You'll get used to it."

"Oh, very well then." Liara responded. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to free me from this containment field would you?"

"Yeah, I was about to ask about the, er, bubble you're in." Shepard asked.

"It's a Prothean security device, you'll need to find an alternate way into this room to free me." Liara answered. "I ran here when the Geth attacked, though unfortunately I became trapped within this, um, bubble." She blushed slightly as she realized the foolishness of her statement.

Before Shepard could respond, the first voice called out from behind her. "Shepard, I've found something. You'll want to see this."

She nodded, "Alright, I'll be right down." She turned towards Liara. "We'll be right back, don't go anywhere." She then turned away from Liara. "Come on Wrex, let's go see what he's found."

Liara called out as the duo leapt down to the rocky floor, "Alright, I'll just sit here. In my bubble. But please, do hurry, I desperately need to use the restroom!"

A considerable amount of time had passed, which she had spent humming to herself. _Well at least now I might make it out of here. Although, that person in black armor was rather rude._ She frowned at her first impression of the male. _At least the Commander seems friendly._

She was interrupted from her thoughts by the sound of footsteps behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see her three recent visitors. "How did you make it past the barrier?! I didn't think there was another route into the structure."

Shepard jerked a thumb over her shoulder, "Um, there was a mining laser." She shrugged. "We just blasted our way into it." She moved over to the console and deactivated the bubble device. Liara dropped down onto her hands and knees, and unsteadily rose from her position.

"Oh, well, I suppose that would do it. Now, I suppose we will be leaving this place?" Liara asked.

Shepard nodded, "Yeah, there's an elevator back there. We'll head up and board our ship that's at the elevated platform outside. The rest of my team has secured our exit."

Liara nodded before remembering a vital piece of information. "Wait! There's a Krogan here at the dig site, and he's very dangerous." She then noticed the three of them staring at her, or at least the Krogan and the human female. She just inferred that the other one was. "Er, I mean a different Krogan, the one with the Geth."

"Is there just one Krogan?" Shepard asked. Liara nodded. The three of them glanced at each other before the two males began chuckling. Shepard grinned. "I think we'll be able to handle one Krogan just fine Doctor T'Soni."

Liara just stood there, dumbfounded. _Who just laughs at the mention of a Krogan beserker on the loose? _She couldn't help but wonder what she had just gotten herself into.

* * *

_Horsehead Nebula, Anadius System – Cronos Station, Cerberus HQ_

_Jack "The Illusive Man" Harper_

_Head of Paramilitary Rogue Alliance Intelligence Organization - Cerberus_

* * *

_"- And sir, the Teltin facility on Pragia is no longer functional."_

Harper took a drag on his cigarette, "I would hope so, that place was decommissioned several years ago." He took another drag on his cigarette. "Why was this brought to my attention?"

The Cerberus Operative shook his head, _"That's just it sir, the entire Teltin facility is gone. As in, there is no trace of the facility. All that's there was a crater giving off significant radiological readings."_

"So someone destroyed one of our old projects, and any salvageable data and equipment?" Harper asked.

The Operative nodded, "_Yes, sir. We were unable to salvage anything from the old facility. We're not sure who did it_."

Harper paused, thinking it over carefully. _Nobody has gone public with it so far, so it can't be one of the legitimate governments. Might be the Shadow Broker._ He took a sip of his bourbon before relaying his new orders. "I'm reassigning you to a different assignment. It's clear there is nothing to be gained from revisiting this old project." He paused before continuing. "However, there is one part of your assignment that I am still curious about." He took another drag of his cigarette . "Has there been any mention of Subject Zero during your investigation?"

The Operative shook his head, "_There hasn't been any sign of a violent, powerful human biotic in the Terminus since her escape. Either she successfully went into hiding or she perished in her stolen shuttle before reaching civilization. And sir, given her disposition and lack of formal training, the latter seems the more likely."_

"Hmm, very well. Excellent work Operative, you'll get your new orders soon. You are dismissed."

The Operative bowed his head, "_Yes sir_." The man's hologram winked out shortly afterwards.

Harper pensively took in a drag of his cigarette and held it momentarily before exhaling. _The only worthwhile part of Teltin, and now it's gone. _He sighed. _What a waste of resources._

He was alerted to the clacking of heels coming from behind him. "You wanted to see me sir?" A confident, feminine Aussie accent sounded from behind him.

"Yes, I did." He took a drag on his cigarette before continuing. "I wanted to hear your report on Eden Prime in person." He took a sip of his bourbon. "But there is something else." He sent a data packet to her omni tool which she opened up to reveal an after action report.

"Sir, this is from the military cell. I'm more suited to the Espionage and Science divisions." She said.

"If you read the report, you'll see that there is an irregularity in the report." He took a few puffs on his cigarette while she read the report.

She looked up a tinge of astonishment in her cold calculating stare. "We've got a leak." Harper subtly nodded. "Do we know who it was and their employer?" She asked.

"We do not. Unfortunately, whoever supplied the details of our operation hid their tracks well and slipped our counterintelligence net. However, I suspect our spy's benefactor to be the Shadow Broker." Harper acknowledged.

"What about Ghost sir?" She asked.

He shook his head. "We don't know enough about him or his organization to draw any conclusions. He hasn't intercepted our agents in the past since Edolus, so I'm inclined to doubt the notion." He took a sip of is bourbon. "However, I have not ruled out the possibility."

"Yes sir, what would you like me to do?" she asked.

He blew a cloud of smoke before responding, "I would like for you to investigate anyone that was involved with the operation, discretely. We don't want to alert our mole to our actions."

"Understood sir." She bowed her head and proceeded to exit the room. "Good day sir."

"Good day, Operative Lawson."

* * *

_A/N:_

_MERRY CHRISTMAS (and happy holidays) to all of my readers!_

_So yeah, this chapter would have been done earlier if it wasn't for the Early Access Beta for Halo 5. Damn thing was addictive and fun as hell. Word of warning, I likely won't update at all until after the beta for Halo 5 is over. So don't hold your breath for a new chapter until mid January. Speaking of chapters, I'm probably going for around a biweekly (every 2 weeks) release. I'm finding that as the story is progressing, I'm having to tie in more and more smaller details to keep the plot coherent, and also lots of drafts. I think this chapter went through around seven different iterations. Didn't even put in the orbital drop until the fifth draft, probably shows. So I'm taking up a lot more time as the story gets bigger. Also, dialogue is not my strongpoint, don't know why though since my story has so damn much of it._

_Anyways, I hope you liked Mac's takedown of the Geth Colossus Halo-style. Spartan jacking always was fun to do, especially on Wraiths when you plant a grenade in the engine and watch the fireworks. Ah, good times._

_Also, the Normandy crew saw Mac's face. I toyed with the idea of hiding his face and adding a little bit of mysteriousness and intrigue, but then I decided to do away with that. He's already got enough mystery surrounding him to hinder his gaining the trust of the Normandy's crew, figured adding more would be a bit too cheesy and unrealistic._

_If you couldn't tell, Shepard wasn't too amused by Mac's heroics, and I'll probably explore it next chapter. Now, I'll leave yall with a question. What happened to Teltin? I already have it written out, but give your theories on it. Or don't, I'm a writer not a cop._

_Hope you enjoyed the read._

_ (If yall have any questions about the tech in my story leave it in a review and I'll likely address it in a Codex entry in the next chapter. Or a PM if it's very minute in detail.)_

_ [Anyone willing to Beta for this story can contact me through PM and provide credentials. Must have at least a college degree and be fluent in English. Will mainly be providing feedback on grammatical errors, dialogue and story flow, but also give feedback for key plot points I come up with every once in awhile.]_


	12. Consequences

Chapter 11 – Consequences

* * *

_Arcturus Station_

_Staff Commander (Captain Select) Hannah Shepard_

_XO of the SSV Kilimanjaro _

* * *

The long bare hallway was filled with the steady, rhythmic clicking as her footsteps echoed off the smooth tiles that covered every surface around her. The signature Alliance blue glow emanated from the passageway's ceiling and floor lights accentuating the gold fabric of her officer's dress blues. She frowned at the drab emptiness of the hall. _Ten years and this damn hallway is still the same as it's always been._ She sighed as she passed through the blue gridded projection of an automated scanner. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as static washed over her body. She glanced down at her omni tool to see a flashing indicator stating an absence of detectable signals. _Hmm, Steven's pulling out all the stops today, could it be about the Geth incursion on Eden?_

Hannah scowled. _That bastard Saren, I hope Amelia tears him a new one. Hmm, I should probably call her after this meeting._ The oak paneled doors swung outwards by themselves as she neared the threshold into the room. _At least they finally made these things automatic. _She stepped into the medium sized conference room to see two men and one woman in a heated conversation. The man and the woman were fairly new to this room, but she recognized them easily as the famous Admiral Dresher and General Petrovsky. _What are they doing here?_ She saw the familiar face of Mikhailovich as well. She strode towards the group and crisply saluted. "Good afternoon, Admirals."

The trio turned towards her and returned the salute, Mikhailovich giving an additional slight nod in acknowledgement, which she returned as she dropped her salute. The three returned to their conversation, with Drescher speaking first. "So why did Hackett call us here? Does it have anything to do with what happened to Kahoku?"

Mikhailovich shook his head, "No, I don't think so. I only just heard about the attack on his life a few hours ago. I think this meeting has something more to do with the Geth and Saren."

Petrovsky muttered a few swear words in Russian before speaking, "To think those dogs tried to recruit me into their organization. I'm glad Kahoku warned me about that seductress they sent after me before I made a damnable mistake."

"And the Alliance is better off for it. We need your tactical expertise more than ever now Oleg." Drescher replied while placing a slightly wrinkled hand on his shoulder. "Heaven knows that I came out of retirement because of this damn Geth business, albeit more as a strategic advisor than a fleet commander."

Before Hannah could ask for an explanation about Kahoku, the door opened to reveal Hackett and a Colonel in the signature black uniform of Alliance Intelligence trailing behind him. Hannah called out to the other three in the room. "Attention on Deck!"

The two flag officers and general snapped to attention simultaneously as Hackett reached his seat at the head of the solid oak oval table. He waved his hand in dismissal, "At ease, like usual, this meeting is off the books."

Everyone took their seats, except for the spook in the room, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the four officers taking their seats on the sides of the oblong table. Mikhailovich broke the silence by asking the pervading question that was on everyone's mind. "Hackett, why did you call in a meeting like this today? Is it because of the attack on Eden Prime? We already know about the Geth and Saren." The two others and Hannah agreed silently, intrigued as well.

"I'll get to that in a second, right now we're waiting on two others to join us on the QEC." Right as he spoke the holographic emitter on the other end of the table sprang to life revealing the forms of a pristinely dressed Captain Anderson and a slightly ruffled Admiral Kahoku. Hackett nodded towards the two of them, "Gentlemen, glad you could join us. I trust your area is secure?"

Slightly confused, the pair glanced at each other before Anderson typed in a few commands into his omni-tool, their images flickered slightly from electronic interference before coming back to full resolution. _"It is now sir. Nothing's getting in or out of here except for the QEC transmission."_

Kahoku added in as well, _"Hackett, what's going on? I was on my way to my ship when I received a flash transmission to reach a QEC as fast as possible. Thankfully, Anderson's got one in his quarters on the Citadel."_

"I apologize for the abruptness of this meeting, all of you, but we've got something urgent to discuss." He paused before continuing. "Now, before we begin, I'm going to hand the floor over to the Colonel here." He nodded over to the spook. "Colonel, if you would please."

The man curtly nodded, "Yes Admiral." The man spoke crisply and firmly, the image of perfect professionalism and a razor edge to his voice. _Bastard sure is the typical OAI poster boy, flawless and disciplined off the field._ Hannah's first impression of the man did not leave her very impressed.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, as of right now as per Article 23 subsection 15 of the Systems Alliance Charter and the orders of the Office of Alliance Intelligence, all content and discussions presented in this room are now classified under Code Black Tier One. Any release of classified information presented here will be treated as an act of high treason against the Systems Alliance as well as Earth and its colonies and will be dealt with by immediate execution. Nothing presented before you may go beyond this room." All the occupants in the room as well as the two in the QEC visibly tensed up at the Colonel's statement. A tangible silence settling in over the room's interior. _What the hell is going on?_

Drescher was the first to break the silence, "Son of a bitch, what the hell happened now?"

Mikhailovich scowled as he began to speak, "Colonel, that order hasn't been used since the Turians invaded Shanxi. I hope you know not to use the OAI's jurisdiction lightly."

The Colonel clenched his jaw briefly, the only sign of emotion that had been shown by the agent since he had entered the room. He moved to respond before Hackett intervened, "It was my idea Mikhailovich, so take it up with me if you've got a problem with it."

Mikhailovich released his scowl, although he still retained a frown, "No Hackett, it's just that it's a heavy order to give, especially since none of us know why we're here in the first place." Hannah and the others agreed with a nod.

"When you see the footage you'll agree with my judgment. Colonel if you would." The Colonel nodded and brought up his omni tool and pressed a few buttons on the haptic interface. Four holographic view screens came to life in front of each person seated at the table as well as the pair communicating via QEC.

"_Eden Prime?"_ Anderson breathed. Hannah glanced over to his image to see his eyes narrow in scrutiny as he cupped his chin with his right hand. She refocused her attention on the projection in front of her.

The scene portrayed was an aerial view of a city with distinct human architecture from four differing perspectives. One one screen, in a corner of the city, there was an intense firefight occurring between a dug in platoon of Alliance Marines and a large force of Geth at a large intersection near the outskirts of a space port. All four screens then showed varying high altitude angles on the fight. The view focused in upon the altercation to show a flurry of fire being exchanged between both sides, with an exponentially larger volume being thrown towards the pinned down 232nd Marines. The Colonel paused the footage, and began speaking. "Before you is footage obtained from a flight of recon drones tasked to the 232nd Marine Brigade. Unfortunately, any street level intel we managed to obtain was corrupted and irrecoverable. Cause of malfunction is unknown at this time." He paused briefly before continuing, "Time stamp is 11 February 1200 hours. On display is a firefight between a platoon of marines against a much larger force of Geth. Exact enemy force composition and strength is unknown."

Mikhailovich growled in anger, "Why are we watching this Hackett? Everyone knows the 2nd Frontier Division got annihilated on the ground by the Geth."

Petrovsky nodded in agreement, "Yes, it's a miracle we didn't suffer more than 60% casualties, given how unprepared we were down there. Honestly, it looks more like the Geth aren't making any concerted effort to push into the city than us making any effective defense."

Hannah leaned in, her fingers steepled in thought, "There's more to this than you're showing us right now, isn't there?"

"_Does it have anything to do with Ghost and his team?"_ Anderson asked.

Drescher turned and spoke to Anderson's avatar, "Why would this have anything to do with Ghost? From what I've heard, he's just a highly lethal and well-trained soldier with high end armor and a preference for outdated weaponry. I don't see how anything about him, other than his employer, could be classified as Code Black."

Petrovsky added in as well, "Yes, I've heard the rumors about Ghost as well. Between Torfan and Elysium, the man sure made a name for himself. But I do recall that there is almost no footage of the man in action, no public record, and no inkling into his origins. A highly suspicious character, almost as enigmatic as the Illusive Man."

Mikhailovich interjected, "He did provide us with the new cloning tech, now we don't have to worry about our troopers acclimating to prostheses anymore, not to mention a boon to the human medical industry that we haven't seen since Sirta first gave us medi-gel."

"But we know nothing about him, or what his goals actually are at this point. We also have no idea how he evacuated our wounded from Torfan so quickly. The aftermath of the bombings was so chaotic that eyewitnesses couldn't accurately remember anything about it." Hannah gave an audible sigh. "I believe we should be a bit more wary before we start giving him the benefit of the doubt with so little knowledge." Hannah stated.

Kahoku turned towards her before speaking, "_His team saved my life not but a few hours ago. He's been nothing but a friend to the Alliance, Shepard. I trust the man implicitly."_

Before Hannah could offer her rebuttal, the Colonel coughed into his hand to interrupt their discussion. "I suggest holding off on your comments until after the footage has ended." The room's occupants refocused their attention on the 3D hologram. "At 1210 hours, an anomaly entered Eden Prime's sensor network then promptly disappeared. We assume it is Ghost's vessel due to his presence on the planet. However, shortly after the anomaly disappeared, planetary radar tracked seven objects coming in from high orbit in the exosphere. One of them we tracked to the dig site at the beacon." The image refocused out giving a city wide view. "The other six, we tracked going into the city."

_The cameras panned out to track six bright objects that were emitting intense blue light race groundside towards the intersection filled with Geth platforms. The view of the intersection was suddenly obstructed from the resulting cloud of dust and debris that flew up from the impact. The intense firefight ceased as android and man alike were stunned by the sudden interruption. Visibility returned soon afterwards to reveal several Geth investigating the fallen meteorites. The cameras zoomed in on the meteorite to show an object with sharp, distinct edges and angles indicating its artificial nature, in addition to the bright blue light augmenting to it as well._

_On screen, a Geth soldier approached one of the newcomers while, in unison, the others aimed at the nearest object. The blue light surrounding the artificial meteors died down. As the Geth platform neared the pod, it abruptly disappeared as a panel flew off and smashed it into oblivion. A bright beam of orange light shot out shortly afterwards and evaporated off a sizeable chunk of another android in a flash of golden light. Before the Geth could return fire, a dark blur leapt from the pod and shot more orange beams at the machines. Blue pulse rounds and orange bolts of light crossed paths in a brutal deathmatch. Not a minute later, the intersection grew quiet once more, with Geth bodies lying deactivated and possessing large chunks of armor and circuitry missing from their frames. The camera then zoomed in and paused on one of the newcomers to reveal a humanoid figure in a suit of matte black imposing armor. A blue visor occupied the region indicative of eyes, adding a dangerous and menacing aspect to the already imposing suit of armor._

The occupants in the room were speechless at the utter devastation before them. "Holy shit." Drescher breathed.

"_Not even my 103__rd__ could do something like that." _Kahoku added, mouth agape in astonishment.

"How did they survive the Geth's firepower? Our kinetic barriers were shredded like paper from the Geth weapons. Yet all six of Ghost's team were still standing without a scratch on their armor?" Mikhailovich wondered aloud.

The Colonel continued his brief, "We don't know how exactly Ghost's men survived hostile contact with the Geth. The drones couldn't track their movements fast enough to get a bead on them. Our analysts suggest that it was either advanced kinetic barrier technology or a system of dual shielding. The implications of which, I doubt I'll have to explain to everyone in this room."

Petrovsky cupped his chin as he pondered on the armored figures' weapons, "What I want to know is what those weapons were firing? It looked like specialized incendiaries, but it just cut right through their barriers." Everyone turned towards the Colonel for some answers.

"That, is the reason for the previous gag order." The intel officer pressed a few commands into his omni tool to deactivate the view screens in front of each officer and subsequently brought up a 3D hologram of a Geth trooper in the center of the table. "Before you, is an approximate simulation based upon footage we obtained from our drones. Playback is at 1/100th speed."

_An orange bolt of light zipped into the projection and slammed into the robotic warrior. As the light began to fade away, a section of the armor and wiring of the Geth trooper began to dissolve away into flakes of golden light and fade into the surrounding air_.

The silence in the room was palpable. "As you can see, the unknown projectile interacted in a typical fashion with the Geth's kinetic barriers." The simulation returned to the indicated frame and began playing. "However, it should be noted that the Geth's kinetic barriers were still active as the projectile passed through and struck the target. Our analysts believe that we may be dealing with a –"

"Directed Energy Weapon." Drescher interjected. "Colonel, how certain are your analysts about their verdict? This is dangerous ground you're treading kid." She stared intensely at the Colonel, who, whether fortunately or unfortunately, did not wither from her scrutiny.

"Almost 100% Admiral. We had a lot of footage to analyze as well as Geth bodies." The Colonel curtly replied.

"How do we know that they aren't a form of hybrid phasic and incendiary ammunition?" Mikhailovich inquired.

"Because there was an absence of burn marks or residue from the impact points on the samples we recovered, as well as the nature of the… wound." A new image came up showing a Geth 'cadaver' and zoomed in on a large crater in its chest plate and processor matrix. "The impact wound was incredibly precise and left a perfect hemisphere. Microscopic analysis reveals no foreign material or ash residue that would have been indicative of incendiaries."

Hannah asked a question that was on her mind, "Do you know how it causes that flaking effect?"

The Colonel turned to her, "We're not completely sure, but we have surmised that the target matter ionizes in a chain reaction until the energy present in the projectile is spent. However, we are unsure of its effect on organic matter as there was no footage other than this encounter."

"No footage?" Hannah inquired, further intrigued.

"The compiled footage was stored on a backup server for the drones on Eden Prime. There was no other data as nothing else was sent there. As for the drones themselves, they were… irrecoverable."

"_Irrecoverable_?" Anderson inquired.

"As in we couldn't find them. They disappeared." The Colonel elaborated.

Before anyone else could speak, Hackett stepped forward and put a hand on the Colonel's shoulder. "That will be all Colonel. You're dismissed."

Clearly confused, the intelligence officer turned to the heavily scarred Admiral, "Sir?"

"Colonel, while I deem you a trustworthy individual, I don't share the same sentiment with the OAI. I'd rather not have to place you in a position of discomfort." Hackett answered.

The man nodded and gave a smart salute, "Sir!" He marched briskly away. The room was quiet until the doors closed behind the Colonel's retreating form.

"So Hackett, what now?" Mikhailovich inquired.

"We wait. Obviously, something has changed for Ghost to come out of hiding now. Given his track record, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and wait for him to come to us like he did for Torfan." Hackett answered.

"Does anyone else have traction on this intel Steven? This is game changing news, and I'd be more comfortable knowing we were the only ones sitting on it." Drescher questioned.

"As far as the Colonel and his people in the OAI are concerned, yes. There hasn't been any chatter by any players in the game, minor or major. The Geth comms blackout worked in our favor on this one.

"I still think we should have detained him last time he infiltrated Arcturus. Letting him walk out freely was a mistake." Hannah rebutted.

There was a loud slam as incredulous palms hit the table. "Wait! He was here!? In Arcturus!? And you just let him go Steven?!" Drescher exclaimed.

Hackett calmly replied to her, "And what would I have done Kastanie? If the rumors had been true, we would have sustained a great number of casualties before we could have detained him. And after seeing his team in action, I'm inclined to believe those rumors."

"_He would have likely injured our people instead of outright killing them, Hackett_." Anderson half-heartedly offered.

"And would you have taken that gamble David? Because I most certainly won't, and not against a man who has been nothing but a friend and ally to the Alliance." Hackett rebutted.

Drescher sighed and sat back down. "I forgot how honorable you are to a fault Steven." Silence fell over once more over the room before Petrovsky broke the intermittent quiet.

"Speaking of DEW's there were some rumors over the years of dead bodies turning up with intriguing injuries, all classified as isolated incidents, though now I'm not so sure." Petrovsky stated.

"Explain." Hackett commanded.

"There were a few cases with comparable causes of death that I heard from local rumors and police reports. Some batarian slavers on Kahje, a weapons dealer on Bekenstein and his Eclipse mercs, and a few independent researchers that worked briefly worked on our Ascension Project."

"What about their injuries were strange?" Drescher asked.

"They all were killed by wounds that had plasma burns." Petrovsky replied.

_Plasma? My omnitool can generate that stuff easily. What's so strange about that? _Hannah thought.

"Plasma? Any regular mil-spec omni tool can launch plasma at someone with an incinerate program. What's so special about it?" Mikhailovich asked.

Petrovsky shook his head, "Those programs only burn hot enough to char or melt away armor as it splashes on the target. The wounds initially looked like a regular mass accelerator wound, except the interior exhibited signs of plasma burns around the projectile's ballistic trajectory in both the victims' flesh and their environment."

"Why did nobody pick up on this earlier?" Hackett asked.

Petrovsky shrugged, "The incidents were few and spread out over a dozen systems and across seven years. I only came across them by accident as I was investigating the researchers' deaths. Since nobody really cared about the earlier victims, there wasn't really all that thorough of an investigation or linking of the incidents together."

"Do you really think Ghost has projectile plasma weapons?" Drescher asked flabbergasted.

Kahoku, having been pensively silent for a while, started speaking, "_If you think about it, we don't actually know how advanced Ghost's technology actually is. His ship, armor and weaponry are all unknowns. Hell we don't even know his origins or who his new team is."_

"Actually, I can shed some light on that last one." All eyes turned to Hackett as he commanded their attention. "They're our people, N7s. All of you have probably heard of two of them, Sergeant Jones and Lieutenant Riley."

"_Wait, those were my N's that just saved me!?" Kahoku exclaimed._

"How did Ghost get them on his team? If I remember correctly, Lee and Jones's enlistment contracts weren't due for an EAS until a year after they disappeared and were declared MIA." Mikhailovich pondered. "In fact, there were four others who had disappeared that were still active duty." Everyone's gaze returned to Hackett.

"I placed them under his command, as a favor. In return, he promised to come to the aid of the Alliance and Earth if we ever needed it. I believe he is making good on his promise on the Normandy as we speak."

"He's on the Normandy… with my daughter?!" Hannah exclaimed. _Is that girl out of her damned mind?!_

"Yes, I believe they're on Therum right now, extracting Benezia's daughter." Hackett answered. Unfortunately, Hannah was unable to hear his statement, due to her building anger.

"Hackett, why did you give our men to this outsider? If I'm being perfectly honest, it doesn't seem like a sane decision." Drescher questioned.

Hackett sighed and bowed his head as he stood silently to collect his thoughts. "After Torfan, Ghost and I reached an… understanding. I wanted him to stand with the Alliance, and in turn help train some of our infiltrators. His help on Torfan gave us that moon, and with minimal casualties to boot." He sighed again, "Fortunately, or unfortunately, the man hates the spotlight, so he declined. At the time I had doubts. Doubts of whether he was a friend or foe, whether he would honor his promise. And after seeing the footage I have nothing but questions about him and his motives." He gathered himself and put his hands behind his back, "But for some odd reason, I can't help but place my faith in the man. And in the past eight years, he hasn't done a single thing to jeopardize or endanger the Alliance or its reputation. He's a warrior, and that's the kind of man that I can trust to uphold his honor."

The aging Admiral sighed and leaned back in her seat before she responded, "You always were a man of honor Steven, even when you were an enlisted man." She shook her head. "We still need to discuss his tech and what his end game is at some point."

"I've been planning on a surprise inspection for the Normandy, I could make contact with Ghost and set up a meeting while I'm there." Mikhailovich offered.

Hackett shook his head, "Forget it. After Cerberus's little stunt against Kahoku, I don't have the highest confidence in our data networks, not to mention the high probability of a mole within the OAI or Admiralty Board. I don't want anyone outside this room to even get a single thread on our plans. You traveling there, out of the blue, will set off too many flags in the intel community."

"Understood." He paused before continuing, "Who's going to make contact then?"

"Kahoku can handle it, since he's already on site, and he can do it off the books." He turned to Kahoku's projection, "Talk to Ghost's squad outside, one of them should be Riley. Ask them to meet with Ghost on his ship. At this point, that ship is the most secure area outside of this room. Understood?" Kahoku nodded in understanding.

Hackett turned back towards Mikhailovich, "As for you, I need you and your flotilla to investigate some reports of Geth in the Skylian Verge. We're getting a lot of sightings of Geth activity from our patrols in the area, but none of them are engaging our forces. See what they're up to and report back to me over QEC. Understood?" Mikhailovich nodded as well in acknowledgement. "Good. You're all dismissed, we'll discuss this issue with Ghost later once Saren and his Geth have been dealt with."

Hannah immediately stood up and saluted, "If you'll excuse me, I need to make a call to a certain daughter of mine."

As she rushed out of the door, she barely heard Kahoku's voice remark, "_You know, I think that's the first time that I felt sorry for a SpecTRe_."

* * *

_Aboard the Normandy – Comm Room_

_Lt. Commander Amelia Shepard_

_Council SpecTRe, Normandy CO_

* * *

"_Too close Commander. Ten more seconds and we would have been swimming in molten sulfur. Next time you need a pick up can we avoid the large exploding volcano? They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull." _Joker said over the intercom. Amelia sighed internally. _"Oh, and, Ghost, next time you want to jump out of a perfectly good ship from orbit, all you need to do is ask. I like to avoid risking a decompression in the cargo bay without knowing about it first."_

"Figured you needed some excitement up there, Joker. Wouldn't want you to get complacent and dull those sharp, first class piloting skills now, would we?" Ghost replied from the comm room's doorway.

"_Pfft, in your dreams."_ The intercom died out shortly afterwards.

The ship's new passenger remarked incredulously at the previous exchange, "We almost died out there and your pilot is making jokes?"

"Joker pulled us out of there safe and sound. I think he's earned the right to a few bad jokes, no matter how much they suck." Amelia replied. She shifted slightly in her armor, feeling some grit between the plates in her hardsuit. _Damn it, I'm going to have to clean this thing later._

"_I heard that." _The intercom crackled. Amelia smirked.

"I see, I guess it is a human thing." She absentmindedly replied. She then turned towards the human male sitting across from her. "And I've never seen anyone fight as gracefully or fast as you do. Granted I've only had limited contact with humanity in my brief lifespan." She paused, waiting for an answer.

"I'm not what you would call a typical human Dr. T'Soni." Ghost replied.

"And the understatement of the year goes to…" Garrus remarked. The majority of the ground team gave a light chuckle at the jab, even Wrex who gave a satisfactory grunt of approval. However, she spotted Alenko strangely silent, and looking in Ghost's direction. Mildly concerned, she filed it away for later.

Liara blissfully ignored the comment, her eyes looking off into the distance in thought, "But how did you decapitate that Krogan so easily with those… arm blades of yours? I recall from my brief master's thesis on xeno-anatomical studies, that the Krogan endoskeleton and head plate are extremely resilient against even the most advanced high temperature omni-blades."

"She does have a point." Everyone turned towards the Quarian mechanic in the room. She stammered out an explanation. "I-I mean, after he landed, his arm blade dug into the Colossus's armor fairly deep, and omni blades have difficulty cutting through basic geth armor consistently, even the ones we make in the fleet. That's why we normally use electric overcharges on our omni weapons, cutting was just too inefficient against synthetics. And it worked just as well for organics so we haven't used blades for a long time."

"I'm more curious about the weapon he fired earlier. If I didn't know better, I could have sworn it was a laser, and a powerful one." Garrus added.

Ashley retorted incredulously, "That's ridiculous. Not even the Salarians have managed to develop a man portable DEW. It's just too inefficient and costly to develop one. It has to be something else…"

"Like what? I've never seen a gun melt armor plating like that, and I've shot a lot of guns." Wrex rebutted. "Besides, I'm more interested in how he survived that explosion. A Krogan would have come out just fine, but most humans would have been roasted by that fireball."

While the others were in discussion, Amelia noticed that the subject of their banter had subtly drawn away from their attention and blended into the background, unmoved from his position at the doorway that he was leaning against. _Even in plain view he disappears. How does he do that?_

"Why don't we ask Ghost? He's right there in the doorway." Kaidan asked while conspicuously staring at the man in question. _That's the second time I caught Alenko. What's got him riled up?_ The others, either oblivious or simply not caring, looked to Ghost with curiosity in their eyes. Liara's was filled more with confusion.

Ghost reached up to the back of his helmet and took it off his head with his right hand and placed it in the crook of his arm against his side. He then stroked his groomed facial hair with his left hand while he gathered his thoughts. "Hmm, so many questions, I'll do my best to answer them." He paused and looked over the rest of the occupants in the room until his eyes settled on her. "But before I begin, I'd just like everyone to know that what I'm about to tell you is a little out there, so bear with me."

"Just get on with it." Wrex grunted. "I'm not getting any younger just sitting here Ghost."

"Alright then, I'll start with Dr. T'Soni and Ms. Zorah." He held up his left arm and a bright blue-white dagger materialized from the gauntlet. "My dagger doesn't use omni fabrication tech to flash forge a blade. Instead, it uses high energy ions self-contained in a persistent magnetic field."

Tali exclaimed in surprise, "Plasma?! How does it maintain its shape so effectively? Even the strongest containment fields have some variance and resonance nodes in the magnetic field. And how does it not burn or melt through your armor? The ceramic plating of most hardsuits aren't made for prolonged exposure to high temperature plasma. That's why incinerate programs are so effective against armor."

Not all that surprised at the level of Ghost's advanced tech, Amelia tuned out the in-depth technical jargon and surveyed the reactions of her team. She sighed inwardly, while maintaining her stoic facial expression. _There's a reason why I avoided the sentinel and engineering programs. I might be able to break or hack any kind of tech, but the theory itself is just boring._ She watched as the eyes of each member of her rag tag team widen as Ghost answered each of their questions. Even Alenko's features were replaced with a look of utter surprise. _Hmm, I wonder if Ghost will actually explain where he got his toys this time?_ She refocused her attention on the room and its occupants.

Silence settled over the comm room as most of Amelia's team sat flabbergasted at the advanced tech standing in front of them.

Chief Williams was the first person to break the silence. "This, this changes everything. Infantry squads capable of downing armor and aircraft while bypassing their shields, even starships are now vulnerable to ground fire. Small unit tactics will be rewritten if this tech gets out!"

"Imagine. A mako with a functional laser battery and a mass accelerator. Think of the possibilities if I could calibrate the lenses and power output just right." Garrus swooned.

Tali began wringing her hands, in obvious excitement. "If I could get the schematics for the magnetic containment fields to the flotilla, our power shortage and fuel deficiencies could disappear overnight!"

Liara gave a short cough, drawing everyone's attention towards her. Slightly flustered, she recovered quickly and began speaking. _Hm, What's the good doctor got to say? _"Excuse me, Mr. Ghost, there is something I've been wondering. Where exactly did all of your advanced technology come from? I haven't been as in touch with civilization these past fifty years, but I've never heard of my people or even the Salarian Union developing any of this. Quite frankly, from my studies in the field, this level of technology seems on par or better than the Protheans."

Amelia's eyes widened as the realization dawned on her. She, along with the rest of the crew snapped their attention back onto the enigmatic soldier in their midst. Ghost grinned and shook his head.

"Hmm, now where exactly did my armor and weapons come from." He cupped his chin in thought. "Well, I can certainly say that they are all of human design. Other than that there's not much that I can tell you right now."

Amelia raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

Ghost dropped his arm from his chin and crossed it with his right. He narrowed his eyes. "Your ship has a mole Shepard." He raised his hand as she opened her mouth. "Before you ask, it's not Saren's plant. It's actually someone from a human supremacist organization."

Amelia racked her brain trying to find the answer, but she was beaten by Alenko. "Cerberus? Why would a terrorist organization want to be on the Normandy?"

Ghost turned towards him, "I've crossed paths with a few of their operations over the years, and yes, although they are a terrorist organization, they also focus on intelligence and science as well."

"That still doesn't explain why…"

"Come on Lieutenant, Humanity's most advanced warship, with the first Human Spectre aboard, who wouldn't want insider intel on its operations. Plus, they've got me as a bonus prize. Cerberus has been pining for me since I showed up on Elysium."

"So you're trying to flush the mole out then… Need any help?" Amelia asked.

Ghost shook his head, "No, just act normal. He'll go to ground if you spook him." He put back on his helmet. "I've narrowed it down to five suspects right now, so if you'll excuse me…" He turned to head out towards the door. "I'll be continuing my investigation." As he reached the door he paused and looked over his shoulder back at the team. Amelia looked at him expectantly. However, much to her disappointment, the armored enigma dissolved into the environment as the door to the CIC opened. A slight shimmer was seen as the door to the comm room closed once more.

Amelia audibly sighed. _Not really helping your case._ She turned to the rest of her team to address them. "Alright, while Ghost is doing his thing, why don't we get on with the debrief then." She turned to the blue woman. "Dr. T'Soni, welcome to the Normandy."

* * *

_20 minutes later_

* * *

Still reeling from having her memories delved into by the good doctor, Amelia paused to gather her thoughts.

"Alright everyone, the briefing for the Feros mission is tomorrow at 0900. Joker you got an ETA on our arrival?"

The intercom crackled to life above her in response. _"We should be in system by 1200 hours Commander."_

"Alright you heard him, shower up and be prepared for some hostile action. The colony has gone dark and we've had reports of Geth in system. Dr. T'Soni I want you on that op, so see Dr. Chakwas to get yourself squared away." She paused, looking over the members of her team, sans Ghost. "Alright, dismissed." With that, the occupants of the room got up and headed towards the door. She eyed one person as the team began to file into the CIC. "Lieutenant, could you stay behind for a bit, I'd like a word."

Confused, the Alliance Sentinel halted near the doorway in midstep, before turning back to enter the room. He marched in front of her and gave a crisp salute. "Commander Shepard, Lieutenant Alenko reporting."

Amelia looked past the biotic and waited for the door to close after the last member of the team, Garrus, stepped into the CIC. She raised her hand slightly to wave off the salute. "At ease Alenko, this is informal. Speak freely."

Cautiously, Alenko lowered his salute and relaxed slightly. "You wanted to see me ma'am?"

"Yes, something caught my attention. Earlier I saw you eyeing up Ghost a minute ago, care to explain what that was about." Amelia said.

"It was nothing ma'am." Alenko replied.

Amelia narrowed her eyes, "I said speak freely Lieutenant, what's going on between you and Ghost? I need to know if there is going to be a problem with unit cohesion."

"Nothing ma'am," Amelia growled, "It's just, there's something about Ghost that seems… off. Don't get me wrong, he isn't a threat to the mission, I can see that he's on board, but I don't exactly trust him either."

Amelia raised an eyebrow, "I haven't noticed you having any problems with the non human recruits on the Normandy."

Alenko shook his head, "They're different, at least we know what their motivations are. But Ghost he's different."

"Explain Alenko." Amelia replied.

"Ever since we ran into him, there has been one coincidence after another. First him and his team are on Eden Prime, right when the Geth attack. Why would they even be on Eden Prime in the first place? Second, Ghost just so happens to have footage of Saren killing Nihlus, and the angle of the footage, it's almost as if he knew it would happen. And then he gets to the Citadel first, somehow without being noticed and all the evidence we need to indict Saren just falls into our lap? Commander, I can understand a coincidence or two, but it just feels like he's two steps ahead of everyone, including us."

"What are you trying to say Lieutenant?" Amelia narrowed her eyes.

Alenko held up his hands in defense. "I'm just saying that he might be on our side now, but we don't know why he's helping us. We don't know what his end game is in all of this, so I'm a little hesitant to fully trust him."

Amelia sighed and sat down in one of the room's seats. She motioned to the seat across from her. Alenko sat down across from her warily. "I understand where you're coming from Alenko, I do. Hell, I feel frustrated not knowing what's going on in his head, but I trust him. He's coming from a good place."

"How do you know Commander?" Alenko asked.

She sighed, "What do you know about Torfan Alenko?"

Alenko shrugged, "Not much Commander, most of the details are classified higher than my security clearance."

"You recall me saying that I was part of a three man team that was rendezvousing with Ghost?" Alenko nodded. "Well, after the IEDs went off one of ours got hit, Sergeant Jones, and it was pretty bad. My Evaluation Officer, LC Riley, had to stay behind and take care of him, though I think they were also an item." Amelia shrugged. "They disappeared after the mission so I'm not sure if that was true or not."

"So it was just you and Ghost for the whole mission?" Alenko replied incredulously.

Amelia nodded, "That's right, just me and him cutting through the heart of the underground base. Funnily enough it was pretty easy to get to our target and eliminate him. That and half the base's personnel anyway." Amelia sighed, "Never in my life did I meet someone who flowed through combat like he did, nor someone who could keep up with me in a fight." She chuckled. "There were times when I felt like I was the one trying to keep up, but we didn't outpace each other and clicked pretty well."

"So the two of you are good warriors, I get that Commander. But how do you trust him just knowing he's a good fighter?" Alenko inquired.

"Hold on, I'm getting to it." She sighed before continuing. "After we eliminated the base commander, the rest of the pirates surrendered pretty easily afterwards. Well, after the fighting had ended, Ghost approached the holding area for the prisoners with his weapon. I followed after him and as soon as he got there he had his weapon leveled at them."

Alenko's eyes widened. "How many did he kill?"

Amelia shook her head, "None. I stopped him by pulling his weapon from him… biotically."

Alenko shook his head, "That doesn't have me inspire a lot of confidence in him Commander."

Amelia shrugged, "I'd be concerned if it did, but I wasn't finished. It wasn't the fact that he almost snapped that got me to trust him, but it's what he said afterwards."

"What did he say to you?"

Shaking her head, Amelia replied, "It wasn't so much what he said but how he said. There was anger and rage and it sounded so righteous, so self-assured. But when I said to not taint his name as a hero, he became sad, there was remorse behind his words. He called himself a killer, not a hero." She paused for a minute while gathering her thoughts. "But you know, hearing him say that made him seem more heroic, but at the same time human, like me." She looked Alenko in the eye, "So do you think you can trust him now?"

Alenko gave a noticeable pause before answering, "I don't know about trust, I've only just met the guy." He gave a huff in resignation. "But, I suppose I could give him the benefit of the doubt, until otherwise."

She nodded and rose to her feet, "That's all I'm asking for Lieutenant." She extended her hand towards him. "Now get up and hit the showers Lieutenant, you're stinking up my comm room."

He grabbed her hand and got up from his seat with a slight smirk, "Yes ma'am." With that, the Lieutenant strode out of the comm room into the CIC.

As she watched the biotic sentinel leave, Amelia stood alone ruminating over a few words from that day. She whispered them silently, more to herself than any particular person.

"Make them hope."

* * *

_Attican Beta, Theseus System - Feros_

_SpecTRe Saren Arterius_

_Traitor and Reaper Agent_

* * *

He stood before the gargantuan monstrosity before him, a mass of decaying flesh and plant matter. The smell it gave off was unpleasant.

"So this is the key I need. How… repugnant." He looked over the unique creature before him. "Now, to retrieve the Cipher." He turned to one of the Asari Commandos that had accompanied him from the ship. "You, what is your name?"

"My name is Shiala, I am ready to serve." She replied as she gave a slight bow.

He raised a finger and pointed to one of the fleshy tendrils that rooted the creature in place. "Meld with the Thorian and retrieve the Prothean Cipher."

She blinked, slightly taken aback, "I do not understand, you wish me to-"

Losing his patience, Saren pushed his will onto the Asari's mind. "Do it, now."

Her eyes unfocused as his will bent hers, "Yes Saren." The Asari maiden strode towards the tendril and reached out a hand towards it as a blue aura surrounded her. Her eyes faded to black as she melded with the monstrosity. She collapsed to the floor, causing her fellow Commandos to rush to her aid.

However, Saren blocked their path by raising his arm to his side. "Wait." He commanded.

Slowly, the fallen Shiala rose from the ground unharmed, except for the distant, hollow look found in her eyes. An empty voice resounded from her lips. "Young one, you seek the perspective of those that came before you, the Protheans. You want the Cipher I hold."

"Yes, now give it to me."

"Your impertinence is noted, but I seek payment." The Thorian replied through its thrall.

"Keep the Asari, she will have outlived her usefulness once I retrieve the cipher." Saren answered.

"Very well, it is acceptable, this one intrigues me." Shiala's body then moved towards Saren and placed her hands on his head as her eyes faded to black. A rush of familiar images rushed through his mind, except now the clarity of the images was much sharper. He searched through the images until a planet focused in from memories that were not his own.

There, Ilos, this is what I need. Without missing a beat, he activated his biotics and gathered the Dark energy into a pulsating sphere in his right hand. With a will of his mind, a dark, black sphere of poisonous dark energy zoomed towards the center of the chasm and straight at the Thorian. The creature cried out in pain as its flesh began disintegrating and flaking away into ash as the warp began tearing at its molecules. Within seconds the creature gave one last death cry as it suffered. What was left was a mass of decaying flesh and plant matter with a hole that went straight through the middle.

"Urgh," a grunt came from behind him, and he turned around and strode towards the source of the disturbance.

"Let's not do that aga-" Shiala was interrupted by a spray of pink and purple mist exiting out the back of her skull. Her lifeless body flopped onto the rotten, matted floor. Saren collapsed his pistol and placed it back on his hip. He turned back towards the entrance without a second glance and strode purposefully towards the exit. As he reached the stairs to the surface, he spotted Benezia waiting at the top.

"Did you find the answer you seek?" She inquired.

"Yes, meld with me to see for yourself." He answered.

She reached out a hand and touched his face as her eyes faded to black. Saren felt a rush of images as Benezia sorted through them all as well as retrieving the Cipher for herself. She relinquished her hold, both physically and mentally with a gasp. "Ilos" she breathed.

"Yes, that is the key to my plans."

"But its location is a mystery Saren." She replied.

"I am well aware, however, I know of at least one creature that should know of its location." He paused before continuing. "Take your shuttle and your Commandos and head to Noveria, my little project at Binary Helix should have the answer."

She bowed her head slightly, "Yes Saren," She paused while looking at the two Commandos that were behind them. "Where is Shiala?"

"Gone, she has outlived her usefulness to me, I can't say the same for you, not yet."

She bowed her head once more. "My apologies, I shall take my leave." With that Benezia and her two Commandos headed in the direction of her private shuttle.

As he watched her leave, a Geth trooper made its way towards him and sounded off a series of clicks and deep bass chirps.

Saren replied with an order. "Round up the colonists and put them on the cruiser, humans only. Eliminate the rest. I'll board Sovereign and head to Virmire to prepare for the next phase of the plan."

The Geth trooper strode away towards the settlement to his left, where he saw several Geth platforms holding several colonists at gunpoint. Humans, finally being herded like the animals they are.

Satisfied, he walked in the direction of Sovereign, giving no thought as to why he was gathering humans or the reason why the Collectors wanted them.

* * *

_A/N_

_Here's Chapter 11 leave your thoughts on this chapter. Next chapter will be out in a month, as I am uploading this from an airport and not yet back in the States. Sorry for the wait yall and enjoy the read._


	13. Update

Alright everyone, sorry for going dark there for around half a year. I'm finally back in the States now. It may be a while until the next chapter as I have to decompress and reacclimate to life stateside. Just wanted to give you guys an update that this story has not been abandoned, just postponed for the moment.


	14. Update 2

So for an update to all who follow this story. I wrote this as a project to work on in my spare time before I got sent overseas, and in my haste to finish as much as possible before my departure, I left out a great many things in the build up before the events of the game took place. Initially, I thought to include those scenes as flashbacks later on, but looking back at all the previously published chapters, having all of that content later on in the story would be fairly jarring. So, I have come to the conclusion that I will be abandoning this work and restarting from scratch. Don't worry too much as the new story will have much of the same (nearly identical) premises, characters and technology that I included in this work. However, there will be a much more fleshed out backstory, and extensive timeline alteration with the new work, and it will be a lot less rushed, as I don't believe I will be going overseas again for quite some time due to injuries that I received. I hope you all will forgive me if you've become attached to this story, but I hope the new one will be more to your satisfaction. Thank you for your patience and I hope to see all of you in the new story "Shepard's Shadow". I will post an update to this story once I have the new work going and the first chapter published in the next few weeks.

Very Respectfully,

azindude


	15. Final Update

New Story is up everyone.


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